TUSKEGEfc 


MAX  BENNETT  THRASHER 


TUSKEGEE 


THE  FUTURE  OF  THE 
AMERICAN    NEGRO 

BY  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

1 2  mo.    Cloth    Decorative.    $1.50 


"  In  respect  of  distinction  alike  of  style, 
insight,  outlook,  spirif,  and  manner,  this 
discussion  of  '  The  Future  of  the  Ameri- 
can Negro,'  by  Booker  T.  Washington, 
is  as  noteworthy  as  any  book  which  has 
appeared  during  the  year."  —  Chicago 
Evening  Post. 


SMALL,  MAYNARD  &  COMPANY 
PUBLISHERS.          BOSTON 


ft- 


^TUSKEGEE 

Its   Story  and  Its  Work 


BY 


MAX   BENNETT  THRASHER 

With    an    Introduction    by 
BOOKER  T.   WASHINGTON 


BOSTON 

Small,   Maynard  £5?  Company 
1900 


Copyright  1900  by 

SMALL  MAYNARD  &=  COMPANY 

Incorporated 


The    Heintzemann    Press 
Boston,  U.S.A. 


To  the  young  men  and  women 
graduates  and  students  of  Tuskegee 


PREFACE. 


During  the  last  five  years  I  have  made  several 
visits  to  Alabama  to  study  the  methods  and  work  of 
Tuskegee  Normal  and  Industrial  Institute  for  colored 
students,  and  to  attend  the  annual  sessions  of  the  Tus- 
kegee Negro  Conference,  an  outgrowth  of  the  Institute. 
I  have  visited  many  graduates  and  students  of  the 
school  at  work  and  in  their  homes,  over  a  territory 
extending  from  West  Virginia  to  Louisiana.  In 
doing  this  work  I  have  had  opportunities  to  hear  Mr. 
Booker  T.  Washington,  the  principal  of  the  Institute, 
address  many  audiences  of  people  of  both  races,  North 
and  South,  and  under  widely  varying  conditions. 

As  a  result  of  my  observations  during  this  time  I 
have  brought  together  here  a  more  comprehensive 
account  of  the  Institute,  and  of  Mr.  Washington's  con- 
nection with  it,  than  has  been  possible  in  any  of  several 
newspaper  and  magazine  articles  which  I  have  written. 
To  the  publications  in  which  these  articles  have  ap- 
peared from  time  to  time  I  wish  to  make  grateful 
acknowledgment  for  any  material  from  them  which  I 
may  have  included  in  this  volume. 

I  also  wish  to  acknowledge  my  obligations  to  Mr. 
Wm.  H.  Baldwin,  Jr.,  of  New  York,  who  has  read 
the  manuscript,  and  to  whose  advice  and  suggestions 
I  am  greatly  indebted. 

MAX  BENNETT   THRASHER. 
Boston,  Mass. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE. 

INTRODUCTION,  by  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON   .         xiii 

CHAPTER  I        ....  -3 

A  Negro  boy's  dream.  Booker  T.  Washington 
born  a  slave.  His  mother's  influence. 

CHAPTER  II      ....  .  7 

The  news  of  freedom.  Washington's  removal  to 
West  Virginia.  First  school.  How  ambition  to 
learn  was  aroused.  Influence  of  Mrs.  Ruffner.  Re- 
visits old  scenes.  Makes  his  way  to  Hampton.  How 
he  left  West  Virginia  and  how  he  returned. 

CHAPTER  III     .         .        .        .        .        .        .  16 

Washington  admitted  to  Hampton.  His  opportunity. 
After  graduation  taught  at  Maiden.  Returns  to 
Hampton.  Alabama  Legislature  establishes  colored 
normal  school  at  Tuskegee.  Mr.  Washington  en- 
gaged as  teacher.  School  opens  July  4,  1881. 
Land  bought  for  permanent  location  and  school  es- 
tablished on  it. 

CHAPTER  IV     .......  26 

Porter  Hall  built.  State  appropriation  increased. 
Brick  yard  established.  Industrial  department  en- 
larged. Mr.  Washington's  address  at  Madison, 
Wis.  Description  of  the  school  in  1884. 


CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

CHAPTER  V 37 

Tuskegee  in  1900.  Description  of  the  grounds  and 
more  important  buildings.  How  the  chapel  was 
built.  A  village  outside  the  school  grounds.  Its 
value  as  an  object  lesson. 

CHAPTER  VI 52 

Co-relation  of  moral  and  religious,  mental  and  in- 
dustrial training  at  Tuskegee.  Requisites  for  ad- 
mission. Courses  of  study.  Blacksmith  class  an 
example. .  Practical  illustration  of  results  of  teaching. 

CHAPTER  VII   .        .        .        .        .        .        .          65 

No  charge  for  tuition.  Expenses.  Day  school  and 
night  school.  Illustration  of  work  of  tinsmith  de- 
partment. The  machine  shop  and  foundry.  In- 
direct influences  of  the  school. 

CHAPTER  VIII          .         .         .        .        .        .          75 

Change  in  sentiment  among  students  towards  indus- 
trial education.  Instruction  practical.  Mr.  Wash- 
ington's son  at  work  laying  bricks.  Work  in  the 
harness  shop.  The  chapel  service. 

CHAPTER  IX 87 

A  Sunday  evening  talk  to  the  students  by  Principal 
Booker  T.  Washington. 

CHAPTER  X 93 

Trades  taught  young  women.  Courses  in  needle- 
work. Laundry.  General  housework.  "  The  art 
of  scrubbing." 


CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

CHAPTER  XI       .......       104 

Condition  of  Negro  farmers.  Agricultural  depart- 
ment. New  building.  Instruction  both  theoretical 
and  practical.  The  dairy.  How  buttermilk  made  a 
black  man  white. 

CHAPTER  XII     .         .         .         .         .         .         .114 

Typical  students  at  Tuskegee. 

CHAPTER  XIII 123 

The  Bible  School.  Undenominational.  Missionary 
Work.  General  moral  teachings. 

CHAPTER  XIV    .        .        .        .         .         .        .129 

Number  of  graduates  and  undergraduates.  Illus- 
trations of  the  work  of  different  individuals.  "  Tus- 
kegee is  everything."  Hogs  as  object  lessons. 

CHAPTER  XV      .        .         .         .        .         .         .       147 

Schools  which  are  "  children  of  Tuskegee."  How 
such  schools  are  started.  Mrs.  Washington's  mis- 
sionary work.  Typical  plantation  Negro  life. 

CHAPTER  XVI    .         .         .         .         .         .         .       162 

The  Tuskegee  Negro  Conference.  Why  and  how 
it  was  established.  Its  methods. 

CHAPTER  XVII  .        .        .         .        .        .174 

The  "  Workers'  Conference."  The  Conference  agent. 
What  some  farmers  have  done.  Auxiliary  Confer- 
ences. Letter  to  the  colored  farmers. 


CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

CHAPTER  XVIII 182 

Work  in  the  churches.  The  "  Mothers'  Meeting  " 
at  Tuskegee.  Other  ways  in  which  the  influence  of 
the  school  is  extended. 

CHAPTER  XIX 186 

Resources  of  the  Institute.  Annual  expenses.  Ex- 
President  Cleveland's  opinion.  Needs  of  the  Insti- 
tute. 

CHAPTER  XX 191 

Expressions  of  opinion  in  regard  to  Tuskegee. 

APPENDIX   ........      205 

Faculty  of  Tuskegee,  1899-1900.  Present  Location 
and  Employment  of  the  Class  of  1899.  Phelps  Hall 
Bible  School  Graduates,  1899. 


xii 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON  .  .  .  Frontispiece 
TINSHOP  FLOAT  IN  PROCESSION  ...  4 

CLASS  IN  BRICK  MAKING  AT  WORK      .        .  28 

WARREN  LOGAN,  TREASURER  ....  30 

LIBRARY  BUILDING  ....  .42 

PARKER  MEMORIAL  HOUSE     .         .  .42 

SCIENCE  HALL 48 

CHAPEL 48 

CARPENTRY  CLASS  BUILDING  ROOF        .         .  56 

ROBERT  L.  MARRY  ....  64 

JOSEPH  L.  BURKS 64 

GEORGE  F.  BAKER  .....  64 

WILLIAM  M.  THOMAS  .....  64 
CLASS  IN  DAIRY  WORK  .....  72 

STUDENTS  AT  WORK  IN  MACHINE  SHOP        .  72 

CUBAN  PUPILS          ....  .82 

GIRLS  LEARNING  PLAIN  SEWING  ...  94 
GIRLS  LEARNING  MILLINERY  .  .  .98 

GIRLS  LEARNING  FLORICULTURE  .  .  .  102 
TRADE  BUILDINGS  AND  DAIRY  HERD  .  .  106 
GRINDING  SUGAR  CANE  .  .  .  .  .  112 
A  DEMONSTRATION  IN  MILLINERY.  .  .  116 

CHARLES  P.ADAMS 116 

BOYS  WHO  WALKED  TO  TUSKEGEE  .  .  120 
GRADUATES  OF  BIBLE  TRAINING  SCHOOL  .  126 
PERDUE  BROTHERS  ...  .130 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 

FACING 
PAGE 

WILLIAM  J.  EDWARDS      .  .  130 

JAMES  M.  CANTY      .         .        .  ....      .         130 

GROUP    OF    TUSKEGEE    SlNGERS          .  .138 

A.  J.  WlLHORN  .  .  .  .  .  .  144 

N.  E.  HENRY 144 

WILLIAM  PEARSON  .         .         .         .        .        .         144 

A.  J.  WOOD 144 

FIRST  SCHOOL  HOUSE  AT  SNOW  HILL  .  148 

"WASHINGTON  HALL"    ...  .148 

IDA  M.  ABERCROMBIE      .        .  .  152 

CORNELIA  BOWEN 152 

MT.  MEIGS  INDUSTRIAL  INSTITUTE  152 

MRS.  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON  .  .  .  158 
DELEGATES  FOR  FARMERS'  CONFERENCE  .  162 
QUARTETTE  OF  "SISTERS"  .  .  .  .  166 
CONFERENCE  DELEGATES  .  .  .  .  166 
INTERIOR  OF  CHAPEL  WITH  CONFERENCE  IN 

SESSION 

AN  OLD  "  UNCLE     ...... 

FATHER  AND  SON    .... 

A  SNAP  SHOT 

ARGUING  THE  POINT        ..... 
GIRLS  LEARNING  BEE  KEEPING      . 
EMMETT  J.  SCOTT     .... 
SLATER-ARMSTRONG  BUILDING 


INTRODUCTION. 

Mr.  Max  Bennett  Thrasher,  the  author  of  this 
little  volume,  has  exceptional  fitness  for  the 
work  that  he  has  done.  For  a  number  of  years 
he  has  been  closely  acquainted  with  the  Tuske- 
gee  Normal  and  Industrial  Institute  and  its 
work.  He  has  made  many  visits  to  the  institu- 
tion and  studied  its  work  closely  upon  the 
grounds.  Besides  being  a  newspaper  writer  of 
experience  and  talent,  he  has  taken  the  precau- 
tion to  travel  carefully  through  many  of  our 
Southern  States,  and  in  speaking  of  the  work  of 
the  graduates  from  Tuskegee  he  tells  that  which 
he  has  actually  seen  and  examined  into.  Few 
persons  have  had  a  better  opportunity  to  judge 
of  the  value  of  Tuskegee's  graduates  than  Mr. 
Thrasher.  He  has  not  only  studied  carefully 
the  influence  of  our  students  in  building  up  the 
colored  people  in  the  various  communities  where 
they  are  laboring  as  teachers,  farmers,  mechanics, 
etc.,  but  what  is  equally  important,  he  has  noted 
carefully  the  influence  of  these  men  and  women 
in  bringing  about  a  better  sentiment  between 
the  races.  Any  one  who  wants  to  get  first  hand 
information  in  regard  to  the  work  of  such  institu- 
tions as  Tuskegee  and  the  power  exerted  through 
the  graduates  can  find  few  better  sources  of  in- 
formation than  is  contained  in  Mr.  Thrasher's 
book,  and  I  bespeak  for  it  a  careful  reading  by  all 
who  are  interested  in  our  great  Southern  prob- 


INTRODUCTION. 

lem,  which,  to  be  more  precise,  is  not  a  Southern 
problem,  but  a  national  problem  in  which  North 
and  South  should  be  equally  interested. 

Mr.  Thrasher's  book  bears  out  the  statement 
which  I  have  often  made,  that  the  wisest  and 
most  economic  policy  to  pursue  in  lifting  up  the 
black  race  in  the  South  is  to  equip  well  certain 
large  central  institutions  which  can  send  out  a 
constant  stream  of  unselfish,  wise,  Christian 
leaders  who  are  well  fortified  with  academic  and 
industrial  training,  and  who  will  settle  in  small 
communities  and  show  the  people  themselves  how 
to  improve  their  schools  and  industrial  and  reli- 
gious condition.  This  was  the  policy  which  the 
late  General  S.  C.  Armstrong,  the  Principal  of 
the  Hampton  Institute,  so  wisely  outlined  years 
ago,  and  the  one  which  is  being  so  carefully  and 
successfully  followed  by  his  successor,  Dr.  H.  B. 
Frissell.  Every  black  man  who  is  so  trained 
that  he  can  do  something  better  than  somebody 
else,  can  do  a  common  thing  in  an  uncommon 
manner,  can  make  himself  indispensable  in  the 
community  where  he  lives,  not  only  helps  our 
own  race  but  secures  at  the  same  time  the 
respect,  confidence,  and  cooperation  of  the 
Southern  white  people  in  the  community  where 
he  lives.  All  who  are  interested  in  the  proper 
solution  of  the  problem  in  the  South  should  feel 
deeply  grateful  to  Mr.  Thrasher  for  the  task 
which  he  has  undertaken  and  performed  so  well. 
BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON. 

Tuskegec  Normal  and  Industrial  Institute,  Tuskegee,  Alabama, 
September  i,  1900. 

xvi 


T  U  S  K  E  G  E  E 

Its  Story  and   Its  Work 


CHAPTER   I. 

NOT  long  after  the  Civil  War  had  closed,  a 
Negro  boy,  who  had  been  born  a  slave  and  freed 
by  the  war,  was  learning  to  read  in  the  spare 
minutes  of  his  work  as  general  chore-boy  about 
a  West  Virginia  farmhouse.  Sometimes,  late 
at  night,  after  he  had  gone  to  bed  in  that  one 
of  the  houses  of  "  the  quarters "  in  which  he 
slept,  the  boy  would  tell  himself  that  some  day, 
when  he  had  grown  to  be  a  man,  he  meant  to 
found  a  school  for  Negro  boys  and  girls  which 
should  grow  to  be  so  great  and  famous  that  even 
the  President  of  the  United  States  would  come 
to  visit  it. 

The  dream  in  the  outbuilding  among  the  West 
Virginia  mountains  has  come  true.  The  boy 
was  Booker  Washington.  The  school  which  he 
founded  at  Tuskegee,  Alabama,  he  has  developed 
until  now  more  than  a  thousand  young  Negro 
men  and  women  are  taught  there  every  year  to 
make  their  lives  count  for  the  most  possible  for 
themselves  and  for  their  race.  In  the  autumn 
of  the  year  1898,  when  President  McKinley, 
accompanied  by  his  cabinet  and  several  promi- 
nent generals  of  the  United  States  Army,  made 
a  journey  through  the  South,  they  spent  one 
entire  day  visiting  Tuskegee  Normal  and  Indus- 
trial Institute.  At  that  time  the  President, 
speaking  in  public,  said :  — 


4-  Tuskegee 

"  To  speak  of  Tuskegee  without  paying  special 
tribute  to  Booker  T.  Washington's  genius  and 
perseverance,  would  be  impossible.  The  incep- 
tion of  this  noble  enterprise  was  his,  and  he 
deserves  high  credit  for  it.  His  was  the  enthu- 
siasm and  enterprise  which  made  its  steady  pro- 
gress possible,  and  established  in  the  institute 
its  present  high  standard  of  accomplishment. 
He  has  won  a  worthy  reputation  as  one  of  the 
great  leaders  of  his  race, .  widely  known  and 
much  respected  at  home  and  abroad  as  an 
accomplished  educator,  a  great  orator,  and  a  true 
philanthropist." 

President  McKinley  has  said  that  it  would  be 
impossible  to  speak  of  Tuskegee  without  paying 
tribute  to  Booker  T.  Washington.  It  would  be 
equally  impossible  to  write  fully  and  compre- 
hensively of  Tuskegee  without  giving  some 
account  of  Mr.  Washington's  life  before  he 
founded  the  school.  The  circumstances  under 
which  his  boyhood  and  youth  were  passed,  and 
the  obstacles  with  which  he  had  to  contend, 
were  very  generally  the  common  lot  of  the 
people  of  his  race,  to  aid  whom  Tuskegee  was 
established.  His  own  experiences  enabled  him 
to  understand  the  needs  of  others  and  roused  in 
him  an  ambition  to  try  and  satisfy  those  needs. 

Booker  Washington  was  born  a  slave  on  a 
plantation  near  Hale's  Ford,  in  Virginia.  He 
does  not  know  just  when,  for  the  coming  into 
the  world  of  one  more  black  baby  on  a  slave 
plantation  was  a  matter  of  so  little  account  that 


Tuskegee 


frequently  no  record  of  the  event  was  kept 
which  would  accurately  fix  the  date.  Probably 
Mr.  Washington  was  born  in  1857  or  1858, 
though,  as  one  of  his  earliest  recollections  is  of 
hearing  the  Negroes  talk  in  whispers  in  their 
cabins  at  night  about  a  war  which  was  being 
fought  around  them.  As  he  has  a  quite  natural 
desire  to  have  a  birthday,  Mr.  Washington  usu- 
ally selects  Easter  Sunday  for  that  celebration. 

The  home  into  which  the  black  baby  came 
was  of  the  humblest  —  a  windowless,  one-room 
log  cabin,  with  the  earth  itself  for  the  floor.  Not 
long  ago  I  heard  Mr.  Washington  say,  "  My  first 
memory  of  life  is  that  of  a  one-room  log  cabin 
with  a  dirt  floor  that  had  a  hole  in  the  center 
which  served  as  a  winter  home  for  sweet  potatoes. 
Wrapped  in  a  few  rags  I  spent  my  nights  on  this 
dirt  floor,  and  clad  in  a  single  garment  I  often 
spent  my  days  about  the  plantation." 

Another  memory  of  those  early  days  I  heard 
him  recall  to  a  great  audience  of  his  own  people 
in  a  southern  city.  He  had  been  speaking  of 
Lincoln,  and  said,  "  My  first  acquaintance  with 
our  hero  was  this  :  Night  after  night,  before  the 
dawn  of  day,  on  an  old  slave  plantation  in  Vir- 
ginia, I  recall  the  form  of  my  sainted  mother, 
bending  over  a  bundle  of  rags  that  enveloped  my 
body,  on  a  dirt  floor,  breathing  a  fervent  prayer 
to  Heaven  that  '  Massa  Lincoln  '  might  succeed, 
and  that  some  day  she  and  I  might  be  free." 

No  one  who  has  seen  much  of  Booker  Wash- 
ington can  fail  to  have  been  impressed  by  his 


Tuskegee 


affection  for  his  mother  while  she  lived,  and  his 
devotion  to  her  memory.  I  think  her  influence 
is  often  made  manifest  through  him,  even  now, 
although,  perhaps,  he  may  not  be  conscious  of  the 
fact  at  the  time.  I  have  frequently  heard  him 
tell  his  own  students,  or  those  of  other  schools, 
"  The  learning  which  you  acquire  is  of  no  use  to 
you  unless  it  makes  you  better  able  to  live.  The 
knowledge  which  you  acquire  from  books  is  of 
use  only  as  you  apply  it.  Young  man,  use  your 
knowledge  of  geometry  to  help  your  father  lay 
out  his  cotton  rows,  your  knowledge  of  chem- 
istry to  show  him  how  to  raise  better  crops. 
Young  woman,  use  your  knowledge  of  chemistry 
to  help  your  mother  in  her  cooking  and  washing, 
your  skill  in  embroidery  to  assist  her  in  the 
family  mending.  When  you  go  home  from 
school  to-night,  or  at  the  end  of  the  term,  put  on 
your  overalls,  young  manj  and  say,  '  Father,  you 
have  borne  the  heat  of  the  day  in  putting  in  the 
crops  ;  go  you  now  and  sit  in  the  shade  and  rest, 
while  I  hoe  the  crop  or  do  the  milking.'  Young 
woman,  when  you  go  home,  tie  on  an  apron  and 
say,  '  Now,  mother,  you  must  be  tired  ;  sit  down 
and  rest  while  I  do  the  washing  or  ironing,  and 
get  supper.'  And,  mark  my  words,  the  heart  of 
that  father  and  that  mother  will  leap  for  joy, 
and  they  will  say, '  Nothing  of  all  the  hard  work 
that  we  have  done  that  our  children  may  go  to 
school  has  been  too  hard,  for  they  appreciate  our 
sacrifices  and  are  making  the  most  of  their 
opportunities." 


CHAPTER    II. 

ONE  day  a  Negro  woman  running  through 
"  the  quarters  "  thrust  her  head  inside  the  door 
of  Washington's  mother's  cabin,  and  shouted, 
"  Praise  Gawd  !  We  's  all  done  sent  for  to  come 
up  to  de  big  house."  A  little  later,  to  all  the 
slaves,  men,  women  and  children,  gathered  in  the 
yard  in  front  of  the  house,  some  one  standing  on 
the  verandah  read  a  paper.  Washington  was  too 
young  to  comprehend  the  words,  or  to  under- 
stand why  the  men  and  women  around  him 
should  jump  up  and  down  and  shout,  "  Glory  Hal- 
lelujah !  Praise  de  Lawd ! "  But  his  mother, 
bending  down  to  where  he  was  clinging  to  her 
dress,  whispered  to  him  that  now  they  were 
free. 

When  the  coming  of  freedom  made  it  possible 
for  them  to  seek  a  new  home,  Mr.  Washington's 
mother  and  her  family  crossed  the  mountains 
into  the  western  part  of  West  Virginia,  where 
work  which  would  pay  money  wages  could  be 
had,  in  the  coal  mines  and  salt  furnaces  of  that 
region.  Their  destination  was  Maiden,  a  little 
village  on  the  banks  of  the  Kanawha  river,  five 
miles  above  the  city  of  Charleston.  Here  the 
children  worked  to  help  support  the  home. 
Booker  found  employment  in  a  coal  mine  as  a 
"  miner's  helper,"  at  fifty  cents  a/lay,  or  drove 
one  of  the  mules  used  to  drag  the  coal-laden 


8  Tuskegee 

cars  out  of  the  mine.  At  other  times  he  worked 
at  one  of  the  salt  furnaces,  packing  the  dry  salt 
into  barrels,  or  shoveling  the  salt  off  from  the 
platform  above  the  tanks  of  boiling  brine,  where 
it  had  been  piled  to  drain,  —  always  a  dangerous 
work,  —  since  a  misstep  meant  almost  certain 
death. 

In  the  summer  of  1899  I  visited  Charleston, 
West  Virginia,  with  Mr.  Washington,  and  we 
spent  one  whole  day  going  about  among  these 
scenes  of  his  boyhood.  The  coal  mine  where  he 
worked  had  been  "  blown  out,"  that  is,  aban- 
doned, some  years  before ;  but  an  increased  de- 
mand for  coal  had  attracted  attention  to  it  again, 
and  when  we  were  there  the  gallery  was  being 
cleared  of  debris  preparatory  to  being  opened  for 
work.  Of  the  salt  furnace  at  which  Mr.  Wash- 
ington worked  nothing  remained  but  the  ruins 
of  a  huge  stone  chimney  rising  from  a  cornfield. 

During  the  first  year  that  the  family  lived  in 
West  Virginia,  a  young  man  by  the  name  of 
William  Davis,  who  had  recently  been  mustered 
out  of  service  as  a  member  of  the  Ohio  troops  in 
the  late  war,  came  to  Maiden  and  contracted  to 
teach  a  subscription  school  there  for  colored 
children:  Washington's  mother  was  one  of  the 
subscribers,  and  the  boy  Booker  began  his  edu- 
cation under  this  man,  from  whom  he  learned 
his  letters.  Mr.  Davis  is  now  living  in  Charles- 
ton, where  I  went  to  see  him.  He  told  me  that 
Washington  was  a  slow  scholar  in  arithmetic,  but 
quick  to  learn  to  read,  and  always  an  easy  and 


Tuskegee 


ready  speaker.  The  account  which  Mr.  Wash- 
ington gives  of  how  he  first  came  to  want  to  go 
to  school  may  give  a  hint  as  to  the  reason  for  his 
fondness  for  reading.  "  One  day,"  he  says,  "  I  hap- 
pened to  see  a  group  of  colored  men  gathered 
around  another  man  who  knew  how  to  read,  and 
who  was  reading  aloud  to  them  from  a  piece  of 
newspaper.  The  man's  hearers  gazed  at  him  with 
mouths  and  eyes  wide  open  with  admiration,  as 
he  slowly  spelled  out  the  words.  He  was  little 
less  than  a  god  to  them.  I  resolved  at  once  that 
I  would  acquire  an  art  which  could  give  a  man 
such  a  power  over  his  fellows,  and  from  that  day 
I  watched  for  a  chance  to  go  to  school." 

When  Washington  was  about  twelve  years  old 
he  was  hired  by  a  white  woman,  Mrs.  Viola 
Ruffner,  who  lived  in  Maiden,  to  work  for  her  as  a 
general  chore-boy  in  and  about  the  house.  Mrs. 
Ruffner  was  a  northern  woman,  a  native  of  Ver- 
mont, who  had  married  and  settled  in  West  Vir- 
ginia. She  was  a  woman  of  remarkable  force  of 
character  and  great  kindness  of  heart.  When 
she  came  to  understand  the  ambitions  of  her  new 
kitchen  boy,  she  took  pains  to  help  him  in  many 
ways.  Much  of  this  time  he  remained  a  pupil 
in  the  village  night  school,  but  Mrs.  Ruffner 
helped  him  greatly  with  his  studies.  Not  long 
before  I  went  to  Maiden  I  had  the  pleasure  of 
visiting  Mrs.  Ruffner  at  her  home.  She  was 
then  living  in  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  with 
her  son,  Major  E.  H.  Ruffner.  From  her  I 
heard  many  personal  reminiscences  of  those  early 


io  Tuskegee 

years  of  the  colored  boy,  in  whose  successful 
later  life  she  has  always  taken  a  warm  interest. 
"  Booker  was  always  a  good  boy,"  she  said,  "  and 
never  wasted  his  time,  as  so  many  servants  did. 
If  he  had  a  few  minutes  of  spare  time  he  would 
sit  down  in  a  corner  of  the  kitchen  and  study  his 
reading  lesson ;  and  more  than  once  I  have  seen 
a  light  between  twelve  and  one  o'clock  in  the 
out-building  where  he  slept,  and  have  gone  there 
to  make  him  stop  studying,  put  out  his  light  and 
go  to  bed,  because  I  knew  he  had  to.get  up  early 
the  next  morning  to  go  to  peddle  vegetables  at  the 
furnaces  down  the  river.  He  was  never  satisfied 
unless  he  was  doing  something  to  help  himself 
'  get  on  in  the  world.'  I  remember  he  left  me  two 
or  three  times  for  other  work  which  seemed  to 
offer  greater  opportunities,  —  once  going  to  work 
on  one  of  the  river  steamboats,  —  but  he  always 
came  back,  until  he  left  me  to  go  to  Hampton." 
While  Mr.  Washington  was  spending  a  few 
weeks  in  Europe,  for  a  rest,  in  the  summer  of 
1 899,  he  received  an  invitation  from  the  governor 
of  West  Virginia,  the  city  government  of  Charles- 
ton, and  a  great  number  of  prominent  citizens  of 
both  races,  to  visit  Charleston  on  his  return  to 
this  country,  that  there  might  be  given  him  there 
a  series  of  receptions  which  would  testify  the  re- 
spect felt  by  the  citizens  of  his  old  home  for  him 
and  for  his  work.  This  invitation  was  accepted, 
and  it  was  at  this  time,  in  August  and  Sep- 
tember, 1899,  that  I  visited  West  Virginia  with 
Mr.  Washington.  At  that  time,  speaking  in 


Tuskegee  11 


public  to  a  great  audience  of  both  races  assem- 
bled in  the  opera  house  in  Charleston,  he  paid 
this  tribute  to  Mrs.  Ruffner  :  — 

"  Not  far  from  here,  in  the  family  of  a  noble 
white  woman  whom  most  of  you  know,  I  re- 
ceived a  training  in  the  matters  of  thoroughness, 
cleanliness,  promptness  and  honesty,  which,  I 
confess  to  you,  in  a  large  measure,  enables  me 
to  do  the  work  for  which  I  am  given  credit. 
As  I  look  over  my  life  I  feel  that  the  training 
which  I  received  in  the  family  of  Mrs.  Viola 
Ruffner  was  a  most  valuable  part  of  my  edu- 
cation. " 

While  we  were  at  Maiden  we  visited  the 
Ruffner  house,  which  is  still  in  the  possession  of 
the  family,  and  I  secured  several  pictures  of  Mr. 
Washington  amid  scenes  which  were  associated 
with  his  early  life  there.  The  Kanawha  valley, 
at  Maiden,  is  little  more  than  a  mountain  gorge. 
The  Ruffner  house  stands  facing  the  river,  across 
which  the  trains  of  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio 
railroad  leave  black  smoke  wreaths  against  the 
sky.  The  house  is  so  close  to  the  bank  that 
one  standing  at  the  garden  fence  can  toss  a 
stone  into  the  water.  While  we  stood  there 
looking  at  the  hills  which  shut  the  valley  in  so 
closely,  Mr.  Washington  said  :  "  When  I  was  a 
boy  these  mountains  looked  so  high  to  me,  I  re- 
member I  used  to  wonder  what  was  behind  them, 
and  wish  I  could  climb  to  the  tops  and  see.  "  I 
thought  to  myself  at  the  time  that  few  persons 
have  had  their  wishes  more  fully  gratified. 


12  Tuskegee 

The  first  house  in  which  Mr.  Washington's 
mother  lived  when  they  came  to  Maiden  is  gone 
entirely.  This  was  a  log  house,  and  we  could 
find  no  trace  of  it,  except  a  few  bricks  of  the 
chimney  buried  in  a  forest  of  weeds.  The  house 
in  which  the  family  lived  when  Booker  started 
for  Hampton  is  still  standing,  in  good  repair. 
We  also  visited  "  Father  Rice,  "  the  grizzled  old 
Negro  preacher  who  was  Washington's  first  Sun- 
day-school teacher.  He  has  lived  in  Maiden  all 
these  years.  He  was  delighted  to  see  his  former 
pupil,  of  whose  fame  now  he  had  heard  rumors, 
and  gladly  consented  to  stand  with  him  in  front 
of  the  parsonage  that  they  might  be  photo- 
graphed together.  I  asked  him  how  Mr.  Wash- 
ington behaved  in  Sunday-school,  when  he  was 
a  boy,  and  he  said,  "  Ah  hain't  nuffin  to  say  agi'n' 
him.  He  was  allus  a  good  boy.  " 

It  was  while  the  boy,  Booker,  was  at  work  for 
Mrs.  Ruffner  that  he  heard  of  General  Arm- 
strong's school  at  Hampton  as  a  place  where 
black  boys  would  be  taught,  and  at  the  same 
time  be  allowed  to  work  to  pay  their  expenses. 
This  was  just  the  chance  "to  get  on  in  the 
world,  "  for  which  Mrs.  Ruffner  told  me  he  was 
always  looking.  He  resolved  at  once  to  go  to 
Hampton,  although  he  had  almost  no  money, 
and  did  not  even  know  definitely  where  Hamp- 
ton was.  His  mother  and  brother  added  what 
little  money  they  could  spare  to  his  savings,  and 
bidding  them  and  Mrs.  Ruffner  good-by,  he  set 
out.  Even  with  what  had  been  given  him,  the 


Tuskegee  13 

boy  had  money  enough  to  pay  his  stage  fare  and 
car  fare  for  only  a  portion  of  the  journey  over 
the  mountains  to  the  sea.  He  rode  when  he 
could,  and  walked  the  rest  of  the  way,  working 
here  and  there  for  food  and  lodging,  and  fre- 
quently sleeping  in  barns  or  by  the  roadside. 
In  this  way,  inquiring  the  route  as  he  went,  he 
reached  the  city  of  Richmond,  Virginia,  too  late 
one  night  to  find  work,  and  absolutely  out  of 
money  with  which  to  secure  a  lodging. 

I  once  heard  him  tell  the  story  of  that  night 
to  an  audience  in  Columbia,  South  Carolina. 
"  It  was  nearly  midnight,  "  he  said.  "  I  had 
walked  about  for  a  long  time,  not  knowing  what 
to  do,  and  hoping  that  some  opportunity  for 
work  might  present  itself.  Finally  I  found  my- 
self on  a  stretch  of  plank  sidewalk  near  the  river. 
I  saw  a  good,  dry  place  under  the  sidewalk. 
There  was  no  one  in  sight.  I  crawled  in,  curled 
up  and  went  to  sleep.  When  I  woke  it  was 
morning,  and  I  found  myself  near  a  vessel  which 
had  just  come  in  and  which  had  a  cargo  to  be 
unloaded.  I  secured  a  chance  to  help  at  this, 
and  as  the  work  lasted  for  several  days,  I  came 
back  to  the  same  place  under  the  sidewalk  to 
sleep  each  night,  that  I  might  save  the  money 
which  otherwise  it  would  have  cost  me  for  lodg- 
ing. In  this  way,  I  earned  enough  money  to 
pay  my  fare  the  rest  of  the  way  to  Hampton, 
and  leave  me  with  fifty  cents  in  my  pocket  when 
I  got  there.  " 

The  invitation  to  revisit  his  old  home,  to  which 


14  Tuskegee 


I  have  referred,  and  the  welcome  accorded  him 
there,  formed,  I  am  sure,  one  of  the  most  grati- 
fying incidents  in  Mr.  Washington's  life.  He 
had  left  West  Virginia  an  untaught,  unknown 
boy  ;  he  returned  the  honored  guest  of  the  state, 
city  and  people,  with  a  reputation  which  is  more 
than  national.  Ex-Governor  W.  A.  MacCorkle, 
the  last  Democratic  governor  of  the  state,  and 
Mr.  Wm.  M.  O.  Dawson,  the  secretary  of  state 
of  the  Republican  state  administration,  in  office 
at  the  time,  met  Mr.  Washington  at  the  train 
with  an  open  carriage  into  which  he  was  taken 
and  driven  to  the  place  in  the  city  where  he  was 
to  be  entertained.  Perhaps  only  those  who  have 
lived  in  the  South  can  fully  realize  the  signifi- 
cance of  this  courtesy.  On  the  evening  of  the 
day  of  his  arrival  the  public  meeting,  of  which 
I  have  spoken,  was  held  at  the  opera  house. 
Rev.  D.  W.  Shaw,  D.D.,  the  colored  pastor  of 
Simpson  M.  E.  Church,  presided  at  this  meeting. 
Governor  G.  W.  Atkinson,  the  chief  executive 
of  the  state  at  the  time,  and  ex-Governor  Mac- 
Corkle, with  many  state  and  city  officials,  sat 
upon  the  platform,  along  with  several  prominent 
Negro  citizens.  A  chorus  of  Negro  children  from 
the  public  schools  furnished  music.  Ex-Governor 
MacCorkle,  in  the  preliminary  speaking,  said 
that  while  the  white  men  of  the  country  had 
been  discussing  the  best  methods  by  which  to 
solve  the  race  problem,  Mr.  Washington  had 
grasped  hold  of  that  problem  and  done  more  to 
solve  it  than  any  man  living.  Governor  Atkin- 


Tuskegee  15 

son  spoke  of  his  life-long  acquaintance  with 
Mr.  Washington,  and  closed  by  saying,  "  I  intro- 
duce to  you  Booker  T.  Washington,  formerly  of 
West  Virginia,  but  now  of  the  United  States." 
A  reception  and  banquet  were  given  Mr.  Wash- 
ington at  the  City  Club  rooms  by  the  colored 
citizens ;  there  were  several  less  formal  social 
functions,  and  Governor  Atkinson  gave  him  a 
public  reception  on  behalf  of  the  white  citizens 
at  the  executive  rooms  in  the  State  Capitol. 
From  out  of  all  this  I  find  that  one  sentence  from 
the  prayer  of  a  colored  minister  who  opened  the 
first  meeting  in  the  opera  house  is  going  to  stay 
fixed  in  my  mind  longer  than  anything  else.  He 
thanked  the  Lord  for  having  given  the  race  "  a 
leader  with  such  a  consecrated  character  and  so 
muck  practical  common  sense" 


CHAPTER  III. 

"  WHEN  I  reached  Hampton,"  Mr.  Washing- 
ton has  said  in  telling  of  his  introduction  to  that 
institution,  "  and  presented  myself  as  a  candidate 
for  admission  to  the  school,  the  instructors  who 
saw  me  first  were  not  at  all  certain  that  they 
cared  to  enroll  me  as  a  pupil,  a  fact  at  which  I 
do  not  wonder,  as  I  remember  the  appearance 
I  must  have  presented  to  them.  It  had  taken  a 
considerable  time  for  me  to  make  the  journey 
over  the  mountains.  I  had  walked  a  good  share 
of  the  way,  and  had  often  slept  in  barns  before 
I  had  occupied  my  lodging  under  the  sidewalk 
in  Richmond.  My  clothes  had  been  none  too 
good  when  I  started  ;  they  were  much  worse 
when  I  reached  my  journey's  end.  I  wanted  to 
stay,  and  pleaded  to  be  allowed  to  do  so !  I  said 
I  would  work.  They  wanted  to  know  what  I 
could  do.  I  told  them  what  I  had  been  doing. 
Finally  one  of  the  instructors  took  me  to  a  room 
which  needed  sweeping,  gave  me  a  broom  and 
told  me  to  see  how  well  I  could  clean  the  room. 
I  suppose  I  swept  and  dusted  that  room  as  many 
as  four  or  five  times  before  I  was  satisfied  with 
it.  Then  one  of  the  lady  teachers  came  and 
inspected  my  work,  and  reported  that  it  was 
satisfactory.  That  was  my  entrance  examina- 
tion, I  passed  it  successfully,  and  was  allowed  to 
stay." 


Tuskegee  17 

Of  his  life  at  Hampton,  Mr.  Washington  has 
said  :  "  At  Hampton  I  found  the  opportunity  — 
in  the  way  of  buildings,  teachers,  and  industries 
provided  by  the  generous  —  to  get  training  in  the 
class  room  and  by  practical  touch  with  industrial 
life  to  learn  thrift,  economy,  and  push.  I  was 
surrounded  by  an  atmosphere  of  business,  Chris- 
tian influence,  and  a  spirit  of  self-help  that 
seemed  to  have  awakened  every  faculty  within 
me,  and  caused  me  for  the  first  time  to  realize 
what  it  meant  to  be  a  man  instead  of  a  piece  of 
property.  While  there  I  resolved  that  when  I 
had  finished  the  course  of  training  I  would  go 
into  the  far  South,  into  the  Black  Belt  of  the 
South,  and  give  my  life  to  providing  the  same 
kind  of  opportunity  for  self-reliance  and  self- 
awakening  that  I  had  found  provided  for  me  at 
Hampton." 

The  school  at  Hampton,  Virginia,  to  which 
Booker  Washington  found  his  way  over  the 
mountains,  was  an  outgrowth  of  work  begun 
during  the  war  by  representatives  of  the  Amer- 
ican Missionary  Association  among  the  Negro 
refugees  who  had  flocked  to  Hampton  by  thou- 
sands. In  1868  a  regularly  established  school  for 
colored  pupils  was  opened  as  a  result  of  this  pre- 
liminary work.  In  1870  this  school  was  incor- 
porated as  the  "  Hampton  Normal  and  Agricul- 
tural Institute."  The  first  principal  of  Hampton 
Institute  was  the  late  General  S.  C.  Armstrong, 
who  for  some  time  previous  had  been  an  official 
of  the  Freedmen's  Bureau  at  Hampton. 


i8  Tuskegee 

In  General  Armstrong  were  combined  a  rare 
personal  fitness  and  unusual  preparation  for  the 
management  of  such  a  school  at  such  a  time.  He 
was  the  son  of  Rev.  Richard  Armstrong,  D.D., 
who  for  forty  years  had  been  a  missionary  in  the 
Sandwich  Islands,  and  for  sixteen  years  minister 
of  public  instruction  there.  General  Armstrong 
was  born  in  the  Sandwich  Islands,  and  as  a 
young  man  served  under  his  father  in  the  Depart- 
ment of  Public  Instruction.  Later  he  came  to 
New  England,  and  having  graduated  from  Wil- 
liams College,  in  1862,  at  once  entered  the  army. 
He  was  soon  promoted  to  the  position  of  colonel 
of  a  colored  regiment,  remaining  in  the  service 
until  the  close  of  the  war  allowed  him  to  under- 
take the  work  of  the  Freedman's  Bureau. 

General  Armstrong  made  Hampton  a  great 
educational  institution.  He  devoted  his  life  and 
strength  to  the  work,  from  the  founding  of  the 
school  until  his  death  in  1 893.  He  was  succeeded 
by  Dr.  H.  B.  Frissell,  as  principal,  under  whose 
administration  the  high  standard  of  the  school 
has  been  maintained.  Thousands  of  Negro  and 
Indian  students  have  been  trained  there,  and  the 
influence  of  the  institution  for  good  is  incalcu- 
lable. Its  graduates  and  students  are  scattered 
throughout  the  West  and  South.  While  Tuske- 
gee is  the  most  vigorous  offshoot  of  the  Institute 
there  are  other  important  schools  in  the  South 
which  have  been  established  and  developed  by 
Hampton  graduates.  Among  them  are  Calhoun, 
and  Mt.  Meigs  People's  School  in  Alabama; 


Tuskegee  19 

Kittrell,  in  North  Carolina,  and  Gloucester  and 
Lawrenceville,  in  Virginia. 

Mr.  Washington  graduated  from  Hampton  in 
1875,  and  the  same  year  went  back  to  his  old 
home  at  Maiden,  West  Virginia,  to  teach  the 
school  there,  remaining  in  charge  of  this  for 
three  years.  He  brought  to  his  work  the  new 
methods  and  practical  ideas  which  he  had  learned 
at  Hampton,  and  his  reputation  as  a  teacher  sur- 
vives in  Maiden  to  this  day.  One  of  the  inno- 
vations which  he  introduced  was  that  of  having 
military  drill  by  the  boys  of  the  school,  using 
sticks  for  arms,  since  they  had  no  guns.  A  man 
who  was  his  pupil  then,  told  me  a  story  of  this 
drill  when  I  was  in  Maiden.  That  the  first  man- 
oeuvres of  his  raw  recruits  might  not  attract 
undue  attention,  the  young  teacher  was  accus- 
tomed to  assemble  his  company  in  a  secluded 
spot  back  from  the  village,  among  the  hills, 
where  they  would  be  out  of  sight.  One  day 
they  were  studiously  drilling  there,  keeping  step 
to  the  "  hip  !  hip !  hip ! "  of  their  instructor,  when 
there  came  around  a  turn  in  the  mountain  path, 
squarely  in  their  faces,  a  half -grown  boy  coming 
into  town  from  his  country  home.  He  gave  one 
frightened  look  on  the  advancing  company,  and 
then,  throwing  down  whatever  burden  he  carried, 
ran  back  home  to  spread  a  report  that  the  war 
was  on  once  more,  and  that  he  had  met  a  com- 
pany of  advancing  soldiers. 

In  1878  Mr.  Washington  took  a  course  of 
study  in  Wayland  Seminary,  Washington,  D.  C. 


2O  Tuskegee 

The  next  year,  at  the  request  of  General  Arm- 
strong, he  returned  to  Hampton  as  an  instructor 
there,  being  given  the  care  of  the  Indian  boys 
who  were  then  at  the  school. 

In  1880,  the  member  of  the  Alabama  Legis- 
lature from  Tuskegee,  a  prominent  Democrat, 
and  afterwards  speaker  of  the  House,  offered  a 
bill  which  was  passed  by  the  General  Assembly, 
appropriating  $2000  annually  to  pay  the  salaries 
of  teachers  in  a  normal  school  to  be  located  at 
Tuskegee,  for  the  training  of  colored  teachers. 

This  act  of  the  Assembly  being  approved  in 
February  of  the  next  year,  Mr.  G.  W.  Campbell 
of  Tuskegee,  one  of  three  commissioners  ap- 
pointed for  the  school  by  the  legislature,  wrote 
to  General  Armstrong,  asking  him  if  he  could 
suggest  a  suitable 'per  son  for  principal  of  the  new 
school.  General  Armstrong  suggested  Booker 
T.  Washington,  and  recommended  him  so  highly 
that  eventually  he  was  engaged.  When  Mr. 
Washington  arrived  at  Tuskegee,  he  found  no 
school  house  provided  for  him,  and  no  prospect 
of  any.  The  state  had  appropriated  money  to 
pay  the  salaries  of  teachers,  only,  and  nothing 
for  school  building,  furniture,  books,  apparatus 
and  current  expenses.  All  these  the  colored 
people  themselves  must  provide  if  they  would 
take  advantage  of  the  state's  assistance. 

In  the  first  letter  which  he  wrote  to  his  Hamp- 
ton friends,  after  he  had  arrived  at  Tuskegee,  the 
new  teacher  said  :  "  On  Friday  I  rode  about  four- 
teen miles  into  the  country  to  attend  the  closing 


Tuskegee  21 

exercises  of  the  school  of  one  of  the  teachers. 
From  this  trip  I  got  some  idea  of  the  colored 
people  in  the  country.  Never  was  I  more  sur- 
prised and  moved  than  when  I  saw  at  one  house 
two  boys,  eight  or  nine  years  old,  perfectly  nude. 
They  seemed  not  to  mind  their  condition  in  the 
least.  Passing  on  from  house  to  house  I  saw 
many  other  children,  five  and  six  years  old,  in 
the  same  condition.  It  was  very  seldom  that  I 
saw  any  children  decently  dressed.  If  they  wore 
clothing,  it  was  only  one  garment,  and  that  so 
black  and  greasy  that  it  did  not  look  like  cloth. 
The  colored  teachers  in  this  part  of  Alabama  have 
had  few  advantages,  many  of  them  having  never 
attended  school  themselves.  They  know  nothing 
of  the  improved  methods  of  teaching.  They 
hail  with  joy  the  Normal  School,  and  most  of 
them  will  become  its  students.  If  there  is  a 
place  in  the  world  where  a  good  Normal  School 
is  needed,  it  is  right  here.  What  an  influence 
for  good ;  first,  on  the  teachers,  and  from  them 
on  the  children  and  parents." 

The  first  session  of  the  Tuskegee  Normal  and 
Industrial  Institute  was  assembled  in  1881,  on 
the  Fourth  of  July,  —  an  auspicious  day  for  the 
beginning  of  the  enterprise.  There  were  thirty 
students  in  attendance,  the  most  of  them  teach- 
ers like  those  whom  Mr.  Washington  had  de- 
scribed in  his  letter.  One  of  the  students  was  a 
colored  preacher,  the  pastor  of  one  of  the  churches 
in  Tuskegee,  a  man  fifty  years  of  age.  The  prob- 
lem of  a  school  building  was  solved  by  an  old 


22  Tuskegee 

Negro  church  in  Tuskegee  being  utilized  for  that 
purpose.  The  number  of  students  increased 
rapidly,  as  the  news  of  the  establishment  of  the 
school  spread  throughout  the  state.  Pupils  kept 
coming  from  towns  farther  and  farther  away 
from  Tuskegee,  finding  opportunities  for  board 
in  the  town.  An  old  shanty  near  the  church 
was  occupied  .as  a  recitation  room,  and  Miss 
Olivia  A.  Davidson,  a  graduate  of  Hampton, 
and  of  the  Framingham,  Massachusetts,  Normal 
School,  was  secured  as  an  assistant  teacher. 
This  second  building  was  so  poor  that  I  have 
heard  Mr.  Washington  say  that  when  it  rained 
the  roof  leaked  so  badly  that  one  of  the  boys 
was  obliged  to  hold  an  umbrella  over  the  teacher 
in  order  that  she  might  be  able  to  go  on  hearing 
the  lessons. 

The  newly-established  school  had  been  in 
operation  only  a  few  months  when  the  "  practical 
common  sense,"  for  which  the  Negro  minister 
at  Charleston  was  so  thankful,  led  the  teacher 
to  decide  that  he  could  not  secure  the  best  results 
possible  from  his  efforts  so  long  as  he  was  able 
to  influence  his  pupils  only  during  the  hours 
they  spent  in  the  schoolroom.  He  wrote  to  a 
friend :  "  An  institution  for  the  education  of 
colored  youth  can  be  but  a  partial  success  with- 
out a  boarding  department.  In  it  they  can  be 
taught  those  correct  habits  which  they  fail  to  get 
at  home.  Without  this  part  of  the  training  they 
go  out  into  the  world  with  trained  intellects,  but 
with  their  morals  and  bodies  neglected." 


Tuskegee  23 

In  addition  to  this,  many  of  the  students  were 
so  poor  that  they  could  not  afford  to  remain  at 
the  school  long  enough  to  get  much  real  benefit 
unless  they  could  have  some  opportunity  to  work 
to  earn  money,  or  to  help  to  pay  their  expenses. 
One  after  another  would  come  to  the  teacher,  after 
a  time,  to  say  that  his  little  store  of  money  was 
exhausted,  and  that  he  must  go.  I  quote  a  pas- 
sage from  a  letter  of  Mr.  Washington's  written 
at  that  time,  in  which  he  said  :  "  I  remember  the 
day  I  came  to  Hampton  with  but  fifty  cents  in 
my  pocket,  and  was  given  a  chance  to  help  my- 
self. Oh,  that  it  were  possible  to  give  such  a 
chance  to  these  students." 

Just  at  this  time  an  old  plantation,  about  a 
mile  from  Tuskegee  village,  was  offered  for  sale. 
It  contained  one  hundred  acres  of  fairly  good 
land,  and  on  the  land  were  a  few  small  buildings. 
Five  hundred  dollars  was  asked  for  the  place, 
but  of  this  only  two  hundred  dollars  need  be 
paid  down.  The  young  teacher  of  the  struggling 
school  saw  the  opportunity,  and  a  bold  idea  came 
to  him.  He  wrote  to  the  treasurer  of  Hampton 
Institute,  and  asked  him  if  it  would  be  practic- 
able to  lend  two  hundred  dollars  to  plant  a 
Hampton  seed  at  Tuskegee.  The  answer  came  : 
"  To  lend  you  Hampton  school  funds, —  No.  To 
lend  you  at  my  own  risk, —  Yes,  and  here  is  my 
check,  and  God  speed  you." 

The  two  hundred  dollars  clinched  the  bargain 
for  the  land,  and  within  two  months  were  returned 
to  the  sender.  In  less  than  three  months  more 


24  Tuskegee 

Mr.   Washington    was    able   to    write    to   this 
friend :  — 

"  TUSKEGEE,  DEC.  18,  1881. 
"  Four  months  and  a  half  ago,  without  a  dollar 
of  our  own,  we  contracted  to  buy  a  farm  of  a 
hundred  acres,  at  a  cost  of  five  hundred  dollars, 
on  which  to  permanently  locate  our  school.  To- 
day the  last  dollar  has  been  paid." 

How  was  this  money  raised  ?  Over  a  hundred 
dollars  was  secured  in  Tuskegee,  by  entertain- 
ments, and  by  subscriptions  from  both  whites 
and  blacks.  A  friend  in  Connecticut  gave  three 
hundred  dollars.  The  vacation  students  at  Hamp- 
ton, the  young  men  and  women  who  remain  at 
school  through  the  long  summer  vacation  to 
work  to  save  money  enough  to  go  to  school  the 
rest  of  the  year,  gave  nearly  a  hundred  dollars 
from  their  hard-earned  savings.  About  this  time 
a  friend  gave  one  hundred  dollars,  with  the  stip- 
ulation that  it  should  be  used  to  buy  a  horse  to 
work  on  the  land,  something  the  school  greatly 
needed.  This  money  was  put  into  the  hands  of 
Mr.  Lewis  Adams,  a  colored  man  at  Tuskegee, 
to  expend.  Mr.  Adams  had  been  prominent 
in  helping  to  get  the  school  established,  and 
was  one  of  the  three  commissioners  originally 
appointed  by  the  state  to  act  for  the  school,  a 
position  which  he  has  ever  since  held.  He  was 
a  shoemaker  and  tinsmith  by  trade,  and  as  soon 
as  those  branches  of  industrial  work  were  estab- 
lished at  the  school  he  took  charge  of  them. 


Tuskegee  25 

He  still  remains  at  the  head  of  the  tinsmith 
department,  and  it  was  in  the  school's  tin-shop 
that  he  told  me  about  this  first  horse,  on  the 
occasion  of  my  being  in  Tuskegee  in  1899.  "  I 
took  that  one  hundred  dollars,"  said  Mr.  Adams, 
"  and  made  it  go  so  far  that  when  I  came  back 
to  the  school  I  had  a  good  horse,  a  second-hand 
lumber  wagon,  a  harness,  a  plow,  and  a  sack  of 
corn  to  begin  to  feed  the  horse  on.  That  horse 
did  all  our  work  for  a  long  while."  Now  the 
Institute  has  six  hundred  head  of  stock,— 
horses,  mules,  cattle,  sheep,  and  hogs. 

So  the  new  departure  was  made.  The  farm 
was  deeded  to  a  board  of  trustees  who  included 
representative  men  of  the  North  and  the  South, 
white  and  colored,  with  a  majority  of  no  one 
sect.  The  preparatory  class  of  the  increasing 
school  took  possession  of  the  old  farmhouse  on 
the  plantation,  and,  as  soon  as  the  early  southern 
spring  made  work  on  the  land  possible,  the  boys 
went  to  work  with  happy  hearts  to  plant  their 
first  crops  of  corn  and  cotton. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

THE  accommodations  for  the  school  were  much 
greater  on  the  plantation  than  they  had  been  in 
the  town,  but  they  did  not  keep  pace  with  the 
demands  made  upon  them.  Before  the  first 
school  year  was  completed  it  was  necessary  to 
make  plans  for  a  new  and  larger  building.  The 
corner  stone  of  this  building  was  laid  March  30, 
1882,  at  the  celebration  of  the  close  of  the  first 
session  of  the  school.  The  address  on  this  occa- 
sion was  delivered  by  Hon.  Waddy  Thompson, 
county  superintendent  of  education.  From  a 
report  of  this  celebration  I  quote  a  paragraph. 
This  report,  speaking  of  Mr.  Thompson's  address, 
adds,  "  With  eloquent  words  he  bade  the  workers 
Godspeed,  trusting  that  their  labors  might  prove 
a  blessing  to  their  race.  A  colored  pastor  pres- 
ent, feelingly  exclaimed,  '  I  thank  God  for  what  I 
have  witnessed  to-day  —  something  I  never  saw 
before,  nor  did  I  ever  expect  to  see,  —  one  who 
but  yesterday  was  one  of  our  owners,  to-day  lay 
the  cornerstone  of  a  building  devoted  to  the 
education  of  my  race.  For  such  a  change  let  us 
all  thank  God  ! ' ' 

The  report  from  which  I  have  quoted  says  : 
"  During  the  year,  one  hundred  and  twelve 
students  from  various  parts  of  the  state  have 
attended  the  school,  and  now,  during  vacation, 
many  of  them  are  doing  good  work  as  teachers, 


Tuskegee  27 


by  which  to  obtain  money  to  return  next  year. 
By  the  aid  of  the  people  in  Tuskegee,  in  money 
and  labor,  and  by  help  from  northern  friends, 
the  lumber  is  now  on  the  ground  for  a  new 
building,  the  building  is  being  framed,  and  we 
are  making  every  effort  to  have  it  completed  by 
the  beginning  of  the  next  session,  Septem- 
ber i,  1882." 

The  new  building,  placed  on  the  site  of  the 
old  farmhouse  on  the  plantation,  was  named 
Porter  Hall;  after  one  of  the  chief  contributors 
to  the  building  fund.  It  was  a  wooden  building 
three  stories  high,  with  a  basement,  and  con- 
tained six  recitation  rooms,  a  large  chapel,  a 
reading-room  and  library,  a  boarding  hall,  and, 
in  the  third  story,  dormitories  for  girls.  Porter 
Hall  was  dedicated  at  the  school's  second  anni- 
versary, in  1883. 

In  the  summer  of  1883  a  small  frame  cottage 
was  put  up  at  the  school,  containing  four  rooms, 
in  which  sixteen  young  men  were  lodged.  Three 
rude  cabins  near  the  school  were  rented  the  same 
year,  and  in  these  thirty-six  more  young  men 
found  rooms,  procuring  their  meals  at  the  board- 
ing department.  A  great  advantage  which  re- 
sulted from  this  was  that  the  boys  who  boarded 
at  the  school  could  work  out  a  portion  of  their 
expenses. 

The  need  for  a  dormitory  building  for  the 
boys,  which  would  accommodate  at  least  a  hundred 
students,  was  pressing.  Mr.  Washington,  with 
an  eye  to  permanency,  decided  to  erect  brick 


28  T  u  s  k  e  g  e  e 

buildings  wherever  structures  of  any  consider- 
able size  were  contemplated.  Fortunately  there 
was  a  clay  pit  on  the  plantation,  and  he  deter- 
mined to  have  the  young  men  make  the  bricks. 

The  work  of  preparation  for  the  new  building 
went  forward  rapidly ;  and  the  building  was 
needed.  The  winter  proved  one  of  unusual  sever- 
ity, and  the  temporary  shelter  provided  for  the 
students  was  not  always  sufficient.  On  February 
fifteenth  of  that  year  Mr.  Washington  wrote : 
"  Not  less  than  ten  hands  went  up  in  chapel  a 
few  nights  ago,  in  answer  to  the  inquiry  how 
many  of  the  young  men  had  been  frost-bitten 
during  the  cold  weather.  The  teachers  were  not 
surprised  at  this  ;  on  more  than  one  night,  when 
making  a  tour  of  the  rooms  at  a  late  hour  to 
give  a'  comforting  word  when  there  were  no 
more  blankets  to  give,  the  young  men  have  been 
found  hovering  around  the  fire,  while  the  cold 
wind  poured  in  through  the  roof,  sides,  and  floor 
of  the  room.  While  there  has  been  this  suffer- 
ing, so  anxious  have  the  students  been  to  remain 
at  school  that  there  has  been  almost  no  murmur 
of  complaint.  They  have  shown  cheerfulness 
throughout.  Must  they  be  asked  to  endure  the 
same  another  winter  ?  We  have  faith  to  believe 
not.  They  want  nothing  done  for  them  which 
they  can  do  for  themselves.  They  are  now  dig- 
ging out  the  basement  for  the  new  building  and 
preparing  the  clay  to  begin  moulding  the  bricks 
as  soon  as  the  weather  will  permit." 

A  month  later  the  teacher  was  able  to  write  : 


f«*LMU 

&f  I  *•  - 

M:-';MF'  --V 

'\V:-I    '' 

^Tw^M^ 
^•^•fiVAaPte 


Tuskegee  29 

"  Our  young  men  have  already  made  two  kilns 
of  bricks,  and  will  make  all  required  for  the 
needed  building.  From  the  first  we  have  carried 
out  the  plan  at  Tuskegee  of  asking  for  nothing 
which  we  could  do  for  ourselves.  Nothing  has 
been  bought  that  the  students  could  produce. 
The  boys  have  done  the  painting,  made  the 
bricks,  the  chairs,  tables  and  desks,  have  built  a 
stable  and  are  now  building  a  carpenter  shop. 
The  girls  do  the  entire  housekeeping,  including 
the  washing,  ironing,  and  mending  of  the  boys' 
clothes." 

One  beneficial  effect  of  the  industrial  work 
which  came  to  be  felt  very  quickly  was  the 
friendly  intercourse  which  it  brought  about  with 
the  people  of  the  town  and  county.  When  the 
Institute  opened  its  brick  yard  it  was  the  only 
place  in  the  entire  county  where  bricks  were 
made.  People  who  were  engaged  in  building 
came  to  examine  the  bricks  which  the  Tuskegee 
students  made,  and  when  they  found  they  were 
good  bricks  wanted  to  buy  them.  The  school 
soon  found  that  it  could  have  a  market  for  all 
the  surplus  product  of  the  yard.  As  soon  as  it 
was  possible  to  do  so  a  brick-making  machine 
was  bought  and  set  up,  and,  now,  for  many  years, 
the  Institute  has  been  selling  several  hundred 
thousand  bricks  every  year  to  be  used  in  the 
surrounding  country. 

During  the  first  two  years  of  the  existence 
of  the  school,  Mr.  Washington  had  borne  the 
heaviest  part  of  the  work  alone.  He  had 


30  luskegee 

attended  to  all  the  executive  details  connected 
with  establishing,  moving  and  developing  the 
school.  He  had  taught  the  scholars  during 
school  hours  in  the  schoolroom,  and  then  had 
taken  the  young  men  out  on  to  the  farm  to  clear 
up  the  land  and  get  it  ready  for  the  crops.  He 
had  built  fences,  and  driven  the  school's  one 
horse.  He  had  directed  the  planting  of  sweet 
potatoes  and  corn,  and  had  superintended  the 
making  of  bricks. 

In  1883  the  Alabama  Legislature  appropriated 
$1000  a  year  additional  for  the  support  of  the 
school,  making  $3000  in  all,  and  Mr.  Warren 
Logan,  another  Hampton  graduate,  came  to  assist 
Mr.  Washington  at  Tuskegee.  Mr.  Logan  has 
been  associated  with  the  school  since  that  time, 
having  now  for  several  years  held  the  office  of 
treasurer  of  the  corporation,  besides  assisting 
Mr.  Washington  in  the  executive  work. 

In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  the  trustees  of 
the  Slater  fund  made  their  first  large  donation 
to  the  school,  $1000,  with  which  to  equip  the 
industrial  department.  Since  then  the  benefits 
received  from  this  same  source  have  been  many 
and  generous.  Up  to  that  time  the  industrial 
training  had  been  chiefly  on  the  land  and  in  the 
brick-yard.  There  was  a  small  blacksmith  shop 
and  wheelwright  shop,  and  a  printing  office  had 
been  established  in  which  a  small  press  was 
worked  by  "man-power."  With  the  help  of  the 
Slater  fund  gift  a  carpenter  shop  was  built,  and 
work  at  that  trade  begun,  a  windmill  was  set 


WARREN    LOGAN,    TREASURER. 


Tuskegee  31 

up  to  pump  water  to  the  school  buildings,  a 
sewing  machine  was  bought  for  the  girls'  indus- 
trial department,  and  mules  and  wagons  were 
bought  for  the  farm. 

The  Slater  fund  is  a  sum  of  money  left  by 
the  late  John  F.  Slater,  a  wealthy  cotton  manu- 
facturer of  Norwich,  Connecticut.  Feeling  a 
deep  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  South,  and 
realizing  the  value  of  industrial  training  to  the 
colored  people,  Mr.  Slater  gave  one  million  dol- 
lars to  constitute  what  should  be  known  as  the 
John  F.  Slater  Fund,  the  interest  of  which  was 
to  be  used  in  aiding  such  institutions  as  were 
most  effective  in  this  kind  of  work.  Dr.  A.  G. 
Haygood,  of  Georgia,  was  the  first  agent  of  the 
board  of  trustees  to  whom  the  management  of 
the  fund  was  intrusted.  Since  his  death,  Dr.  J. 
L.  M.  Curry,  of  Washington,  has  held  the  posi- 
tion of  agent. 

In  an  address  before  the  National  Educational 
Association,  at  Madison,  Wisconsin,  in  1884,  Mr. 
Washington  said,  "  At  the  end  of  our  first  year's 
work,  some  of  the  white  people  near  Tuskegee 
said  :  '  We  are  glad  that  the  Normal  School  is 
here,  because  it  draws  people  here  and  makes 
labor  plentiful. '  At  the  close  of  the  second 
year  several  said  that  the  Normal  School  was 
beneficial  because  it  increased  trade.  At  the 
close  of  the  last  session  more  than  one  said  that 
the  Normal  School  is  a  good  institution ;  it 
is  making  the  colored  people  of  this  state  better 
citizens.  From  the  opening  of  the  school  to  the 


32  luskegee 

present,  the  white  citizens  of  Tuskegee  have 
been  among  its  warmest  friends.  They  have 
not  only  given  of  their  money,  but  they  have 
been  ever  ready  to  suggest  and  devise  plans  to 
build  up  the  institution.  When  the  school  was 
making  an  effort  to  start  a  brick  yard,  but  was 
without  means,  one  of  the  merchants  gave  an 
outfit  of  tools.  Every  white  minister  in  town 
has  visited  the  school  and  made  encouraging  re- 
marks. The  president  of  the  white  college  in 
Tuskegee  makes  a  special  effort  to  furnish  our 
young  men  with  work,  that  they  may  remain  at 
school.  " 

Up  to  this  time,  Mr.  Washington's  talents  as 
a  speaker  had  been  exercised  chiefly  during  the 
summer  vacation,  for  the  raising  of  money  among 
the  friends  of  the  school  in  the  North.  This 
address  at  Madison  gave  him  rank  as  an  educa- 
tor of  national  reputation,  and  gave  Tuskegee  a 
place  among  the  educational  institutions  of  the 
country.  Its  effect  in  educational  circles  was, 
to  a  great  extent,  what  the  address  of  the  same 
speaker  at  the  Atlanta  Exposition,  in  1895,  was 
to  the  country  as  a  whole.  Mr.  Washington 
went  to  Atlanta  the  comparatively  unknown 
principal  of  a  colored  school  somewhere  in  the 
South.  His  address  before  that  great  audience 
in  the  exposition  buildings  gave  him  a  national 
reputation  and  made  Tuskegee  almost  a  house- 
hold word,  a  word  to  which  interest  will  always 
cling. 

The  school  increased  rapidly  in  size  and  im- 


Tuskegee  33 


portance.  Mr.  J.  H.Washington,  the  principal's 
brother,  who  had  followed  him  to  Hampton  and 
had  graduated  from  there,  came  to  Tuskegee  to 
take  charge  of  the  industrial  work.  He  now 
fills  the  place  of  director  of  mechanical  indus- 
tries. Mr.  C.  W.  Greene,  also  from  Hampton, 
came  in  1888  as  farm  superintendent,  and  has 
retained  the  place  ever  since.  Among  others  of 
the  early  teachers  who  have  been  constantly 
connected  with  the  school  since  they  began  their 
work  there,  are  Mrs.  Logan,  Mrs.  B.  T.  Wash- 
ington, who  has  charge  of  the  industrial  work  for 
girls,  Mr.  J.  D.  McCall,  director  of  the  aca- 
demic department,  Mr.  M.  T.  Driver,  the  busi- 
ness agent,  Mr.  James  N.  Galloway,  the  mana- 
ger of  the  Marshall  farm,  and  possibly  some 
others  of  whom  I  have  not  been  able  to  inform 
myself. 

I  find  an  interesting  description  of  the  appear- 
ance, methods  and  plans  of  the  school  in  those 
early  days,  and  of  the  conditions  amid  which  it 
worked,  in  an  article  written  by  Mr.  Logan  in 
1884.  From  this  sketch,  to  which  the  author 
gave  the  title,  "  Life  In  and  Around  the  School ; 
from  a  Teacher's  Standpoint,  "  I  quote  a  few 
paragraphs  : 

"  It  is  sometimes  asked,  '  Does  it  pay  to  edu- 
cate the  Negro  ? '  Well,  that  depends,  for  him 
as  for  others,  upon  how  he  is  educated. 

"  An  old  colored  man  in  a  cotton  field,  in  the 
middle  of  July,  lifted  his  eyes  towards  the  heavens 
and  said  :  '  De  cotton  is  so  grassy,  de  work  is  so 


34  Tuskegee 

hard,  an'  de  sun  is  so  hot,  dat  I  believe  dis  dar- 
key am  called  to  preach.' 

"  There  is  no  doubt  that  some  of  the  would-be 
teachers,  as  well  as  the  would-be  preachers,  in 
their  desire  for  education  are  inspired,  as  some 
of  their  brothers  in  white  are,  by  a  yearning,  not 
for  usefulness,  but  for  ease.  Simply  to  gratify 
them  in  this  would  certainly  not  pay  for  gener- 
rous  contribution  to  their  education. 

"  But,  if  along  with  mental  training,  the  Ne- 
gro is  taught  that,  as  President  Garfield  told  the 
students  at  Hampton  Institute,  '  Labor  must  be, 
and  labor  must  be  free,  '  that  in  free  labor  is 
dignity  and  prosperity  and  self-respect  ;  if  with 
his  book  learning  he  learns  to  respect  the  rights 
of  others,  to  do  right  from  a  love  of  right,  and  is 
given  some  useful  trade  as  a  start  in  life,  why 
will  it  not  pay  handsomely  to  educate  him  ;  to 
make  him  an  intelligent  and  useful  American 
citizen,  instead  of  an  ignorant  and  dangerous 
one  ? 

"  This  is  the  work  of  the  industrial  school. 
This  is  the  work  of  Tuskegee,  the  very  place  for 
our  cotton-field  graduates. 

"  The  great  need  of  the  South  is  competent 
school  teachers  and  skilled  mechanics.  The  de- 
mand for  both  is  much  greater  than  the  supply. 
Colored  lawyers  might  perhaps  be  dispensed  with 
for  a  while,  but  colored  teachers,  able  to  use 
both  head  and  hands,  are  an  actual  present  ne- 
cessity. 

"  The  great  majority  of  our  Tuskegee  students 


Tuskegee  35 

hope  to  become  teachers  among  their  people. 
Almost  all  of  them  come  from  the  country  and 
are  good  material.  Visitors  are  struck  with  their 
splendid  physical  proportions.  Most  of  them 
are  stalwart,  robust  young  people,  well  able  to 
work  their  way  in  the  world,  and  eager  for  an 
opportunity.  They  have  had  poor  home  train- 
ing and  it  is  necessary  to  teach  them  correct 
habits  of  living,  but  they  evince  an  eagerness  to 
learn  that  is  as  surprising  as  it  is  encouraging, 
undergoing,  in  many  cases,  much  privation  and 
discomfort  to  keep  in  school.  It  is  gratifying 
to  watch  the  change  that  gradually  takes  place 
in  their  personal  appearance,  in  clothes  and  man- 
ners, and  expression  of  face. 

"The  course  of  study  as  planned  extends 
through  four  years,  but  few  can  complete  it 
without  staying  out  for  as  much  as  a  year  to  earn 
money.  We  do  not  think  they  will  lose  by  this 
in  the  end.  We  hope  to  graduate  our  first  class 
next  year.  The  course  is  thorough  in  English 
lessons,  composition  and  reading,  with  studies  in 
literature.  It  extends  in  mathematics  through 
elementary  geometry,  and  includes  geography, 
history,  civil  government,  with  special  study  of 
the  school  laws  of  Alabama,  book-keeping,  some 
study  of  the  natural  sciences,  mental  and  moral 
philosophy,  vocal  music  and  the  theory  and  prac- 
tice of  teaching. 

"  As  an  industrial  school  Tuskegee  regards 
its  manual  labor  department,  not  merely  as  a 
means  to  secure  education,  but  as  a  valuable 


36  Tuskegee 


part  of  education.  Work  is  required  of  all. 
The  boys  are  taught  practical  farming,  carpen- 
try, printing,  brick-making,  blacksmithing  and 
painting;  the  girls,  sewing  and  housekeeping. 
The  school  hopes  to  add  other  industries  as  it 
becomes  able. 

"  We  do  not  find  that  the  manual  labor  inter- 
feres seriously  with  the  studies.  We  believe 
that  in  the  long  run  it  will  be  found  far  more  of 
a  help  than  a  hindrance,  through  its  influence 
upon  character  and  habits  of  industry.  Of  course 
it  makes  a  busy  day  for  students  and  teachers, 
from  the  rising  bell,  at  half -past  five,  and  the 
work  bell,  calling  some  after  breakfast  to  their 
work-shops  or  cotton  fields,  and  others  to  the 
morning  study  hour,  to  the  bell  for  '  lights  out '  at 
half  past  nine  at  night,  when  the  sleep  of  the 
laborer  is  sweet.  A  busy  day  ;  but  Tuskegee  has 
work  to  do,  and  means  to  do  it." 


CHAPTER   V. 

THE  reports  from  which  I  have  quoted  in  the 
kst  chapter,  and  Mr.  Logan's  article,  written  in 
1884,  give  a  vivid  picture  of  Tuskegee  at  that 
time,  and  an  outline  of  what  the  school  hoped  to 
do.  A  description  of  the  school,  as  one  visiting 
it  sixteen  years  later  found  it,  will  show  what  had 
been  accomplished  in  that  time. 

The  town  of  Tuskegee  is  the  county  seat  of 
Macon  county.  It  is  situated  southeast  of  the 
centre  of  the  State  of  Alabama,  in  what  is  com- 
monly known  as  the  "black  belt."  It  is  forty 
miles  from  Montgomery,  the  capital  of  the  state, 
and  one  hundred  and  forty  miles  from  Atlanta. 
It  is  conveniently  reached  from  the  North  by  way 
of  the  Southern  railroad,  to  Atlanta  ;  and  the 
Atlanta  and  West  Point,  and  Western  of  Ala- 
bama, railroads,  from  Atlanta  to  Chehaw,  Ala- 
bama, at  which  place  the  Tuskegee  railroad,  five 
miles  in  length,  makes  connection.  Being  on  a 
through  line  of  travel  from  the  North  to  New 
Orleans,  the  facilities  for  reaching  Tuskegee  are 
excellent.  The  Southern  railroad  runs  through 
cars  from  New  York  and  Washington.  The 
service  is  so  satisfactory,  both  as  regards  time 
and  accommodations,  that  I  have  always  found  it 
a  pleasure  to  travel  there. 

Tuskegee  is  one  of  the  oldest  towns  in  the 
state.  Its  name  is  said  to  be  from  an  Indian 


38  Tuskegee 

word,  Tuskigi,  and  it  is  also  said  that  when  De 
Soto  marched  inland  on  his  famous  expedition  he 
found  an  Indian  village  by  this  name  on  the  same 
site.  In  Alabama  the  name  of  the  town  is  in- 
variably pronounced  Tuskegee,  with  the  accent 
on  the  second  syllable,  and  the  "g"  hard,  like 
the  same  letter  in  the  word  "  geese ; "  but  in 
other  parts  of  the  country  I  find  a  tendency 
to  pronounce  the  word  as  if  it  were  spelled 
Tuskyjee. 

The  village  and  school  stand  on  high  ground, 
from  which,  on  almost  every  side,  one  may  over- 
look miles  of  plantation  land  and  forests  of  oak 
and  pine.  The  location  is  attractive  and  health- 
ful. The  village,  through  which  one  passes  on 
going  from  the  station  to  the  school,  is  typically 
southern.  In  its  centre  is  the  Court  House,  a 
time-stained  building  in  which,  if  one  happens  to 
be  in  town  at  court  time,  may  be  heard  good 
specimens  of  that  legal  eloquence  for  which  the 
South  has  always  been  so  justly  famous.  Around 
the  grass-grown  and  shaded  yard  which  surrounds 
the  Court  House,  is  a  rusty  iron  fence.  Facing 
the  spacious  square  which  surrounds  all  this, 
are  the  banks,  stores  and  other  business  build- 
ings of  the  town.  The  residence  streets  lead 
out  from  the  square  at  right  angles,  and,  stand- 
ing back  from  these,  in  great  gardens,  where, 
at  Thanksgiving  time,  roses  and  chrysanthe- 
mums are  still  in  full  bloom,  are  many  fine  old 
houses,  in  front  of  which  lofty  pillars  support 
porticos  so  broad  and  high  that  often  a  more 


Tuskegee  39 

modern  house  might  almost  be  put  into  the 
portico  entire. 

The  grounds  of  the  school  are  a  mile  beyond 
the  town.  The  institute  now  owns  twenty-five 
hundred  acres  of  land.  This  is  exclusive  of 
twenty-five  thousand  acres  of  land  donated  to 
the  school  by  the  Federal  government  in  1899. 
This  last-named  property  is  unimproved  mineral 
land,  to  be  retained  for  rental,  or  sold,  as  the 
school  may  decide  is  the  most  desirable.  The 
value  of  the  property,  exclusive  of  the  mineral 
land,  is  between  $300,000  and  $400,000.  There 
are  forty-six  buildings,  counting  large  and  small, 
ail  of  which,  except  three,  have  been  erected  by 
the  labor  of  the  students. 

The  school  grounds  proper  comprise  about  one 
hundred  acres.  At  the  right  of  the  main  drive- 
way, as  one  enters  the  grounds,  is  Cassedy  Hall, 
a  three-story  brick  building  originally  used  for 
the  industrial  classes,  but  now,  since  the  most  of 
these  classes  have  been  moved  into  the  new 
Trades  School  Building,  converted  into  a  dormi- 
tory for  boys.  Adjacent  to  Cassedy  Hall  is 
another  small  brick  building  also  used  as  a  dormi- 
tory. Near  these  buildings  the  visitor  may  often 
see  several  piles  of  logs,  —  oak,  pine  and  poplar, 
—  many  of  them  well  towards  three  feet  through. 
They  have  been  cut  on  one  of  the  school's  tim- 
ber lots,  and  drawn  in  for  lumber.  The  building 
in  front  of  which  they  have  been  left  is  the  saw- 
mill, and  the  strident  "  buzz-z-z "  of  a  stout 
circular  saw  which  comes  from  the  building, 


4O  T  u  s  k  e  g  e 


shows  that  the  mill  is  in  operation.  The  young 
men  who  are  at  work  there  are  learning  the 
sawyer's  trade  as  the  one  which  they  expect  to 
follow  in  life.  Adjoining  the  saw-mill,  so  as  to 
obtain  its  power  from  the  same  engine,  is  the 
wood-working  shop,  fitted  with  the  necessary 
machinery ;  the  carpenter  shop,  with  fourteen 
benches ;  and  the  carpentry  and  repair  shop ; 
with  separate  classes  in  each. 

Back  of  the  saw-mill  is  a  building  in  which  a 
class  of  young  women  are  learning  mattress- 
making  and  repairing,  the  making  of  pillows,  and 
upholstery.  They  find  plenty  of  work  in  keep- 
ing the  furniture  of  the  school  replaced  and  in 
repair.  Recently  the  school  has  discovered  that 
the  long,  elastic  needles  of  the  southern  pine, 
fragrant  and  healthful,  when  thoroughly  dried 
are  excellent  for  stuffing  mattresses,  and  this 
material  has  been  largely  used.  Adjoining  the 
saw-mill  on  the  other  side  is  the  engine-room, 
electrical  plant,  machine  shop  and  foundry.  In 
•all  of  these,  classes  of  young  men  are  doing  prac- 
tical work  which  has  a  present  value,  and  in 
doing  it  are,  in  most  cases,  learning  the  trades 
which  they  expect  to  follow  in  later  years. 
Eventually  all  these  industries  will  be  moved  to 
the  opposite  end  of  the  grounds,  where  they  will 
be  accommodated  in  the  Trades  Building,  when 
that  is  completed. 

The  first  building  on  the  left  of  the  driveway 
is  Science  Hall,  a  handsome  three-story  brick 
building  containing  class-rooms,  laboratories  and 


Tuskegee  41 

several  sleeping  rooms  for  the  teachers  and 
boys.  This  building  was  erected  after  plans 
drawn  by  one  of  the  instructors  in  the  school. 
Nearly  opposite  Science  Hall  is  Olivia  Davidson 
Hall,  a  four-story  brick  structure  in  which  are 
recitation  rooms  and  sleeping  rooms  for  the 
teachers  and  boys. 

All  of  the  larger  buildings  have  ample  grounds 
around  them,  shaded  by  trees  and  brightened  by 
numerous  flower  beds.  A  northern  eye  is  caught 
at  once  by  the  profusion  of  southern  vegetation, 
the  cacti,  yuccas  and  palmettos.  The  entire 
care  of  the  grounds,  flowers,  shrubs  and  trees  de- 
volves upon  the  department  of  floriculture  and 
horticulture.  Young  men  and  young  women 
who  are  learning  these  arts  work  regularly  under 
the  direction  of  thoroughly  trained  men,  who  are 
graduates  of  schools  which  have  made  a  specialty 
of  such  studies.  The  orchards  and  vineyards 
of  the  school  are  young,  as  yet,  but  it  has,  in  all, 
several  acres  devoted  to  fruit.  In  this  connection 
it  may  be  interesting  to  know  that,  during  the 
summer  vacation,  the  school  operates  a  steam 
canning  plant,  for  the  double  purpose  of  putting 
up  its  own  stock  of  fruit,  and  teaching  the  art 
of  canning  to  such  students  as  elect  to  remain 
to  work  at  it  during  the  vacation.  In  a  summer 
when  there  is  a  good  crop  of  fruit  the  canning 
department  puts  up  about  five  thousand  gallons, 
using  one  gallon  tin  cans  made  in  the  school's 
tin  shop.  About  one-half  of  this  stock  consists 
of  blackberries,  the  berries  being  bought  at  an 


42  Tuskegee 

average  price  of  twelve  cents  a  gallon  from  the 
farmers'  families,  who  bring  them  in  from  miles 
around.  The  balance  of  the  fruit  consists  of 
peaches,  pears,  plums,  apples,  grapes  and  toma- 
toes, raised  on  the  place.  None  of  the  fruit  is 
sold ;  it  is  all  eaten  in  the  dining  rooms  by  the 
teachers  and  students. 

Next  beyond  Davidson  Hall,  on  the  same  side 
of  the  driveway,  is  Porter  Hall,  a  wooden  struc- 
ture, the  first  building  erected.  In  it  now  are 
the  principal's  and  treasurer's  offices,  and  the 
offices  of  the  heads  of  some  of  the  departments, 
several  recitation  rooms  and  a  large  general 
study  room.  Back  of  Porter  Hall  is  a  group  of 
smaller  buildings  used  mainly  for  girls'  industrial 
work ;  in  them  are  the  cooking  classes,  plain 
sewing,  dress-making  and  millinery  classes.  Two 
of  these  buildings  are  interesting  from  the  fact 
that  they  are  all  that  are  left  of  the  original  old 
buildings  which  were  on  the  plantation  when  it 
was  bought  by  the  school.  The  little,  old,  white- 
washed cabins  are  very  dear  to  those  of  the 
teachers  who  have  been  at  Tuskegee  ever  since 
those  early  days,  and  have  watched  the  growth 
of  the  school  into  what  is  now  almost  a  city  in 
itself. 

A  little  farther  down  the  driveway,  and  on  the 
opposite  side  from  Porter  Hall,  is  the  Phelps 
Hall  Bible  Training  School,  a  large,  three-story 
wooden  building  with  broad  verandahs  around  it, 
erected  as  a  memorial  building  by  a  friend  of  the 
school  in  New  York.  Near  Phelps  Hall  is  a 


BUILDING   NOW   USED   AS   A   LIBRARY. 


PARKER    MEMORIAL   HOME. 


luskegee  43 

wooden  house  which  was  the  home  of  the  prin- 
cipal for  several  years.  Mr.  Washington  has 
recently  moved  into  a  brick  house  built  just 
across  the  main  road  from  the  school  grounds. 
The  building  of  this  house  was  largely  made 
possible  by  the  kindness  of  friends  of  the  school 
in  the  North.  It  enables  the  principal  to  enter- 
tain, more  conveniently  than  he  could  do  in  his 
former  residence,  many  of  the  guests  whom  the 
institute's  reputation  attracts  to  Tuskegee  as 
interested  visitors.  The  building  which  Mr. 
Washington  vacated  is  utilized  now  for  a  library 
and  for  reading  rooms.  Scattered  about  the 
grounds  are  several  other  residences  in  which 
other  members  of  the  faculty,  including  the 
chaplain  and  the  doctor,  live  with  their  families. 
Just  in  front  of  the  library  the  driveway  divides, 
and  the  right-hand  section  of  it  leads  down  past 
Alabama  Hall,  a  four-story  brick  building,  on  the 
lower  floor  of  which  are  the  dining  rooms  and 
kitchens.  In  this  building  are  the  reading  room, 
music  room  and  reception  room  for  the  young 
women,  and  the  rooms  of  the  principal  of  the 
young  women's  department,  Mrs.  Bruce,  the 
widow  of  the  late  ex-senator  and  ex-registrar 
of  the  treasury,  B.  K.  Bruce.  The  upper  floors 
of  Alabama  Hall  are  used  for  sleeping  rooms  for 
the  young  women.  Beyond  Alabama  Hall  are 
two  large  wooden  buildings  used  as  girls'  dormi- 
tories. One  of  these  is  named  Hamilton  Cottage 
for  the  late  Robert  H.  Hamilton  who  for  several 
years  led  the  famous  Hampton  quartette,  and 


44  Tuskegee 

later  led  the  Tuskegee  quartette  when  they  went 
North  to  sing  to  raise  money  for  the  school. 
Still  farther  on  in  the  same  direction  is  the 
laundry,  a  large  three-story  brick  building,  and 
Huntington  Hall,  a  commodious  brick  dormitory 
for  girls,  recently  erected  with  money  given  by 
Mrs.  C.  P.  Huntington.  In  design  and  in  finish 
this  is  one  of  the  finest  buildings  belonging  to 
the  school.  Near  Huntington  Hall  is  the  girls' 
hospital,  a  small  wooden  building  which  should 
be  replaced  by  a  larger  and  better  one,  and  the 
Parker  Memorial  Home.  The  last-named  build- 
ing is  the  gift  of  two  friends  of  the  school  in 
Brooklyn,  who,  realizing  that  a  great  number  of 
the  young  women  who  came  to  Tuskegee  as 
students  need  home-training  quite  as  much  as 
any  other  form  of  education,  provided  this  oppor- 
tunity for  such  training.  Many  of  these  young 
women  come  from  one-room  cabin  homes ;  few 
of  them  know  anything  of  practical  housekeep- 
ing. The  Parker  Home  is  a  neatly  designed 
and  well-built  wooden  dwelling  house.  It  con- 
tains a  reception  room,  guest  room,  dining  room, 
kitchen  and  laundry,  all  thoroughly  and  taste- 
fully furnished.  The  remainder  of  the  building 
is  divided  into  sleeping  rooms.  This  building  is 
the  home  of  the  young  women  of  the  senior  class 
during  all  of  their  last  year  at  the  school.  In  it, 
and  from  the  care  of  it,  they  learn  practical 
"home-keeping"  with  the  help  of  attractive  mod- 
ern accessories.  Occasionally,  by  Mrs.  Wash- 
ington's permission  and  under  her  guidance, 


Tuskegee  45 

these  young  women  are  allowed  to  give  little 
dinners,  teas  and  receptions,  for  which  they  make 
all  the  preparations. 

From  Huntington  Hall  •  the  grounds  slope 
down  past  the  pumping  station  and  reservoir, 
through  a  beautiful  oak  grove,  to  a  portion  of 
the  farm  land. 

Returning  to  the  main  driveway  in  front  of 
Alabama  Hall,  and  passing  Willow  Cottage,  a 
girls'  dormitory,  the  next  large  building  which 
the  visitor  approaches  is  the  Slater-Armstrong 
Memorial  Agricultural  Building.  This  is  a 
handsome  brick  building  containing  laboratories, 
museum,  lecture  rooms  and  recitation  rooms. 
In  addition  to  its  regular  annual  appropriation 
of  $3000  the  State  of  Alabama  now  allows  the 
Institute  $i  500  a  year  additional  for  the  support 
of  an  agricultural  experiment  station,  the  work 
of  which  is  carried  on  by  the  school's  agricul- 
tural department.  Very  near  the  agricultural 
building  are  located  the  practice  schools  main- 
tained as  an  adjunct  to  the  normal  department. 
These  schools  are  in  charge  of  able  normal- 
training  teachers.  The  pupils  are  the  children 
from  the  families  of  the  members  of  the  school's 
faculty,  and  children  from  the  town  and  sur- 
rounding country  whose  parents  are  glad  to 
avail  themselves  of  the  advantages  of  so  good  a 
primary  school.  In  this  school  the  students  in 
the  normal  department  teach  a  certain  number 
of  hours  each  week. 

Beyond   the   Practice    School    is   the   Slater- 


46  Tuskegee 

Armstrong  Memorial  Trades'  Building  for  boys, 
the  largest  building  on  the  grounds,  and  one  of 
the  best.  The  outside  dimensions  of  this  build- 
ing are  two  hundred  and  eighty-three  feet  by 
three  hundred  and  fifteen  feet.  It  is  rectangular 
in  shape,  built  around  an  inner  court.  It  is  of 
brick,  with  tin  roof,  finished  throughout  in  yellow 
pine,  and  is  heated  by  steam  and  lighted  by 
electricity.  Except  for  the  rear  annexes  it  is 
two  stories  high.  The  plan  after  which  it  is 
built  affords  all  of  the  shops  ample  light  and  air. 
The  blacksmith  shop  is  a  fair  sample  of  the 
accommodations  given  the  industrial  classes. 
That  room  is  thirty-eight  by  sixty-one  feet  square, 
lofty,  lighted  on  three  sides  and  fitted  with  an 
exhaust  fan  for  ventilation.  The  shop  contains 
nine  stationary  forges,  blowers,  anvils,  and  all 
the  necessary  tools.  Blacksmithing  is  a  favorite 
trade  with  the  young  men,  and  the  shop's  force 
is  always  full.  An  idea  of  the  standard  of  the 
work  done  here  may  be  had  from  the  fact  that 
many  of  the  blooded  horses  from  all  over  the 
country  are  brought  here  regularly  to  be  shod, 
because  the  teacher  in  charge  of  the  shop  is  such 
an  expert  workman.  All  of  the  indoor  trades 
for  boys  are  accommodated  in  this  building  with 
the  exception  of  those  which  I  have  described  as 
being  located  near  the  entrance  to  the  grounds. 
On  the  opposite  side  of  the  driveway  from  the 
Trades'  Building  for  boys  there  is  now  being 
built  a  similar  building  on  a  somewhat  smaller 
scale  in  which  will  be  accommodated  the  girls' 


Tuskegee  47 


industrial  departments.  This  building  is  the 
gift  of  two  friends  of  the  school  in  New  York, 
the  same  who  two  years  before  gave  the  money 
to  enable  the  chapel  to  be  built. 

Near  the  trades'  buildings  stands  the  chapel. 
In  years  past  the  rapidly  increasing  number  of 
pupils  caused  the  school  to  outgrow  one  after 
another  of  the  rooms  which  had  been  used  for 
devotional  exercises.  For  several  years  there 
had  been  used  for  this  purpose  —  because  it  was 
the  only  building  about  the  school  into  which  all 
the  students  could  gather  at  one  time  —  a  rude, 
temporary  structure  built  of  unplaned  boards, 
with  no  floor  but  the  earth  and  no  seats  but 
backless  benches  made  by  spiking  planks  upon 
posts  driven  into  the  ground.  Recently  money 
was  given  for  a  chapel  and  the  students  built  it. 

The  chapel  is  built  of  brick,  with  stone  trim- 
mings. The  plan  is  that  of  a  cross,  the  dimen- 
sions being  one  hundred  and  fifty-four  feet 
through  the  nave  and  choir,  and  one  hundred  and 
six  feet  through  the  transepts.  The  seating 
capacity  of  the  auditorium  is  twenty-four  hun- 
dred. All  of  the  devotional  services  are  now 
held  in  this  building,  the  annual  Negro  Con- 
ference meets  here,  and  it  was  in  this  building 
that  President  McKinley  spoke  when  he  visited 
Tuskegee.  The  building  of  this  chapel  illus- 
trates, as  well  as  any  one  instance  can,  the 
methods  of  the  industrial  training  at  Tuskegee. 
The  plans  for  the  building  were  drawn  by  the 
school's  instructor  in  architectural  and  mechani- 


Tuskegee 

cal  drawing.  The  bricks,  one  million  two  hun- 
dred thousand  in  number,  were  made  by  students 
in  the  school's  brick  yard  and  laid  by  the  men 
in  the  brick-laying  classes.  The  lumber  was 
cut  on  the  school's  land  and  sawed  in  the  saw 
mill  on  the  grounds.  The  various  wood-working 
classes  did  the  work  which  came  in  their  depart- 
ments. The  floor  is  of  oak  ;  all  the  rest  of  the 
finish  is  in  yellow  pine,  and  the  use  of  this  wood 
in  the  lofty  arch  of  the  ceiling  gives  a  particu- 
larly rich  effect .  The  pews  were  built  after  a  mod- 
el designed  by  one  of  the  students,  and  another 
student  designed  the  cornices.  The  tin  and  slate 
roofing  was  put  on  by  students,  and  the  steam 
heating  and  electric  lighting  apparatus  was  in- 
stalled by  them,  although  this  was  the  first 
building  in  which  they  did  this  work,  these  two 
trades  being  among  the  last  which  the  school 
has  been  prepared  to  teach. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  at  Tuskegee 
not  only  are  all  of  the  students  Negroes,  but 
also  all  of  the  teachers.  There  is  no  one  con- 
nected with  the  school,  except  some  members  of 
the  Board  of  Trustees,  and  one  or  two  persons 
not  resident  at  Tuskegee,  who  is  not  of  the  race 
which  the  school  is  designed  to  educate.  With 
this  policy  to  be  followed  it  sometimes  has  been 
difficult  for  the  school  to  find  colored  men  and 
women  thoroughly  trained  in  the  trades  for 
which  teachers  were  sought,  a  fact  which  would 
seem  to  point  towards  the  need  of  more  general 
industrial  training  for  the  people  of  the  race. 


SCIENCE     HALL. 


THE   CHAPEL   AT  TUSKF.GEE,    BUILT   BY   STUDENTS. 


T  u  s  k  e  g  e  e  49 

Frequently  the  entire  country  has  been  can- 
vassed to  find  capable  instructors.  Many  of  the 
teachers,  especially  of  the  older  ones,  come  from 
Hampton.  The  director  of  the  agricultural  de- 
partment is  a  graduate  of  the  Iowa  State  Agri- 
cultural College.  The  teacher  of  horticulture 
comes  from  Ann  Arbor.  One  of  the  teachers 
of  cooking  is  from  Mrs.  Rorer's  school  in  Phila- 
delphia, and  the  instructor  in  gymnastics  for 
girls  is  a  graduate  of  the  Boston  Normal  School 
of  Gymnastics. 

The  Institute's  barn  having  been  destroyed  by 
fire,  the  stock  and  farming  tools  were  sheltered 
for  several  years  in  temporary  buildings  on  a 
part  of  the  grounds  beyond  the  Trades'  Build- 
ings. Early  in  the  year  1900,  however,  a  sum 
of  money  with  which  permanent  barns  should 
be  built  was  given  by  friends  of  the  school  in 
Brooklyn,  and  the  erection  of  the  buildings 
begun  from  plans  drawn  by  Mr.  R.  R.  Taylor, 
the  same  architect  who  designed  Science  Hall 
and  the  chapel.  The  buildings  in  this  group 
are  located  on  both  sides  of  the  road  which  leads 
from  the  school  grounds  to  the  farm  land,  and 
at  a  considerable  distance  from  the  other  build- 
ings. When  completed  they  will  comprise  a 
poultry  house,  dairy  house,  dairy  barn,  horse 
barn,  and  piggery,  on  one  side  of  the  road,  and 
on  the  other  a  slaughter  house,  and  two  large 
shelter  barns  for  farming  tools  and  wagons. 
Each  of  these  buildings  will  be  separate  and 
at  a  considerable  distance  from  any  other.  They 


50  I uskegee 

will  be  modern  in  style  and  appointments,  and 
will  greatly  add  to  the  efficiency  of  the  agricul- 
tural department  and  to  the  ease  and  profit  with 
which  its  work  can  be  carried  on. 

At  some  little  distance  from  the  grounds  is 
the  brickyard,  the  first  industry  started,  and  one 
of  the  most  profitable.  The  clay  in  the  pit  is 
good  and  easy  to  get  out.  Improved  machinery 
has  been  provided  from  time  to  time,  until  now 
two  million  bricks  are  made  in  a  year.  I  have 
always  remembered  the  pride  with  which,  on  the 
occasion  of  my  first  visit  to  Tuskegee,  a  student 
pointed  out  to  me  the  difference  between  the 
rougher,  hand-made  bricks  of  which  the  older 
buildings  were  constructed,  and  the  smooth,  ma- 
chine-made bricks  built  into  the  last  new  building 
which  had  been  erected  then.  No  artist  ex- 
hibiting a  picture  which  had  taken  a  medal  could 
have  shown  more  pride  in  his  work  than  did  that 
young  man  in  the  neatness  of  that  brick  wall. 

Outside  the  school  grounds  there  has  sprung 
up  a  good-sized  village  of  dwelling  houses,  the 
homes  of  members  of  the  faculty  and  their  fami- 
lies. Some  of  these  buildings  are  owned  by  the 
school  and  rented,  but  many  of  the  teachers  own 
their  homes,  with  more  or  less  land  surrounding 
them.  These  houses,  in  style,  furnishings  and 
surroundings,  would  bear  comparison  favorably 
with  the  houses  in  the  suburbs  of  any  town. 
The  main  road  of  the  county  passes  through  this 
village.  Over  that  road  travel  during  the  year, 
including  those  who  come  to  Tuskegee  at  confer- 


Tuskegee  51 

ence  time,  thousands  of  Negro  men  and  women 
who  live  in  the  surrounding  country.  These 
people  ride  in  all  kinds  of  dilapidated  vehicles, 
drawn  by  steers,  neglected-looking  horses  and 
mules  ;  they  wear  clothes  which  are  apt  to  be  short 
in  quantity  and  disreputable  in  quality.  The 
majority  of  them  live  from  hand  to  mouth,  in  one- 
room  cabins  built  on  mortgaged  or  rented  land. 
Every  time  they  pass  through  this  village,  or  see 
Tuskegee 's  school  buildings,  they  are  obliged  to 
have  an  object-lesson  in  what  other  men  and 
women  of  their  race  have  done  —  in  what  they 
themselves  can  do  if  they  will  but  try.  A  jour- 
ney back  into  the  country  in  which  these  people 
live  shows  that  some  of  them,  at  least,  are 
profiting  by  the  lesson. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

BECAUSE  Tuskegee  affords  such  excellent  fa- 
cilities for  industrial  training,  it  should  not  be 
inferred  that  this  side  of  the  educational  life  of 
the  Institute  is  emphasized  at  the  expense  of 
academic  training.  It  is  the  aim  of  the  school 
to  have  its  system  of  moral  and  religious,  mental 
and  industrial  education  so  balanced  as  to  secure 
the  best  results  consistent  with  the  needs  of  each 
pupil. 

Mr.  Washington's  opinion  in  regard  to  the 
relative  value  of  industrial  and  academic  educa- 
tion I  have  repeatedly  heard  him  express  in  words 
similar  to  the  following,  which  I  quote  from  an 
address  which  I  heard  him  make  in  Charleston, 
South  Carolina  : 

"  I  would  say  to  the  black  boy  as  well  as  to 
the  white  boy,  get  all  the  mental  development 
that  your  time  and  pocketbook  will  afford,  the 
more  the  better ;  but  the  time  has  come  when  a 
larger  proportion  —  not  all,  for  we  need  profes- 
sional men  and  women  —  of  the  educated  colored 
men  and  women  should  give  themselves  to  indus- 
trial or  business  life.  The  professional  class  will 
be  helped  in  proportion  as  the  rank  and  file  have 
an  industrial  education,  so  that  they  can  pay  for 
professional  services. 

"  I  would  not  have  the  standard  of  mental 
development  lowered  one  whit,  for  with  the  Negro, 


Tuskegee  53 

as  with  all  races,  mental  strength  is  the  basis 
of  all  progress ;  but  I  would  have  a  greater 
proportion  of  this  mental  strength  reach  the 
Negro's  actual  needs  through  the  medium  of  the 
hand." 

Mr.  Emmett  J.  Scott,  Mr.  Washington's  pri- 
vate secretary,  in  a  recent  magazine  article,  has 
said :  "  Tuskegee  seeks  to  teach  the  dignity  of 
labor  to  its  students,  to  afford  them  the  best 
possible  opportunity  for  the  development  of  their 
mental  faculties,  emphasizes  systematic  industrial 
training,  and  fosters  the  habits  of  right  thinking 
and  right  living.  There  are  hundreds  of  schools 
where  colored  students  can  receive  literary  train- 
ing, but  those  in  which  young  men  and  women 
can  learn  trades,  in  addition'  to  their  literary 
training,  are  very  few." 

If  I  give  more  space  to  a  description  of  the 
industrial  side  of  the  work  at  Tuskegee  than 
to  any  other,  it  is  not  because  equal  prominence 
is  not  given  to  mental  and  moral  and  religious 
training  there,  but  because  there  are  so  few 
schools  where  the  trades,  industries  and  agricul- 
ture are  taught  to  colored  students  so  thor- 
oughly as  they  are  at  Tuskegee,  and  because 
the  industrial  work  there  has  as  yet  much  of 
the  interest  of  novelty  to  students  of  educational 
problems. 

For  the  school  year  of  1899-1900,  there  were 
enrolled  at  the  Institute  over  one  thousand  stu- 
dents, who  came  from  twenty-eight  states  and 
territories,  and  from  Cuba,  Jamaica,  Porto  Rico, 


54  Tuskegee 

Africa  and  Barbacloes.  Naturally,  more  students 
come  from  Alabama  than  from  any  other  one 
state ;  but  nearly  three  hundred  residents  of  the 
state  of  Georgia  attended  the  school  in  that  year. 
Florida,  South  Carolina  and  Texas  always  have 
been  largely  represented  among  the  students, 
quite  as  many  coming  from  those  states  as  from 
Mississippi  and  Louisiana.  To  teach  and  train 
this  number  of  students  requires  the  services  of 
a  faculty  of  nearly  one  hundred  persons.  A 
visitor  to  Tuskegee  cannot  but  be  impressed  by 
the  earnestness  with  which  the  teachers  under- 
take their  work,  and  by  their  devotion  to  the 
manifold  interests  of  the  institution. 

The  requisites  for  admission  to  the  Institute  are 
a  good  moral  character,  attested  by  recommenda- 
tions from  some  reliable  person,  a  good  physique, 
and  a  fair  ability  to  read,  write  and  cipher.  No 
student  who  cannot  read  and  write  is  admitted, 
and  no  student  is  admitted  to  any  department, 
on  any  terms,  under  fourteen  years  of  age.  The 
school  year  is  divided  into  three  terms  of  three 
months  each.  These  are  practically  continuous, 
as  it  has  been  found  to  be  desirable  to  have  the 
most  of  the  vacation  time  combined  into  one 
long  period  in  the  summer. 

The  course  of  study  is  arranged  primarily  for 
four  years  —  preparatory,  junior,  middle  and 
senior ;  but  because  of  the  great  diversity  of 
requirements  among  so  many  students,  some  of 
whom  come  with  almost  no  preparation,  the  pre- 
paratory grade  is  divided  into  three  classes,  A, 


Tuskegee  55 


B  and  C,  and  the  middle  grade  into  two  classes, 
A  and  B. 

The  members  of  the  C  preparatory  class,  the 
lowest,  in  their  first  year  take  arithmetic  as  far 
as  common  fractions,  grammar,  geography  as  far 
as  the  study  of  the  United  States,  reading, 
spelling,  music  and  drawing.  The  B  and  A 
classes  of  this  grade  continue  these  branches. 

In  the  junior  year  the  pupils  have  advanced 
in  arithmetic  to  interest ;  they  continue  the  same 
studies  as  in  the  year  previous,  and  begin  United 
States  history. 

The  members  of  the  B  middle  class  finish 
arithmetic  and  begin  algebra,  finish  history  and 
begin  civics,  and  add  physiology.  Those  in  the 
A  class  of  the  same  grade  finish  algebra  and  be- 
gin geometry,  take  book-keeping,  geology,  phys- 
ics and  chemistry. 

The  studies  taken  by  the  members  of  the  sen- 
ior class  depend  upon  whether  they  elect  to  take 
the  normal  or  trades'  course.  In  the  former, 
the  studies  of  the  final  year  are  psychology,  rhet- 
oric, English  and  American  classics,  ethics,  peda- 
gogy, and  a  review  of  the  English  studies  of  the 
previous  year.  The  trades'  seniors  have  advanced 
chemistry,  mechanical  drawing,  geometry,  phys- 
ics and  trades'  work. 

The  agricultural  and  mechanical  work  is  car- 
ried on  in  connection  with  a  four  years'  course 
in  the  academic  department.  Training  is  given 
in  thirty  industries,  special  effort  being  made  to 
teach  those  which  are  most  likely  to  be  available 


56  Tuskegee 

in  the  South.  The  courses  of  study  in  the 
trades  are  as  carefully  graded  and  as  consistently 
followed  as  are  those  in  the  academic  depart- 
ment. It  would  make  this  chapter  of  inconven- 
ient length  if  I  were  to  give  a  full  outline  of  the 
courses  laid  down  in  all  these  trades,  and  I  there- 
fore select  only  a  few  as  samples  :  — 

CARPENTRY  —  First  Year.  • 

Names  and  uses  of  tools ;  sharpening  and 
setting  for  use.  Working  out  pieces  of  timber 
to  various  gauges  and  lengths ;  straightening, 
squaring,  beveling.  Forming  angles  by  halving 
pieces  together,  as  applied  in  framing.  Plain 
dovetailing,  as  applied  in  framing.  Sketching 
and  making  plain  brackets.  Lectures  on  gener- 
al topics.  Study  and  construction  of  problems 
in  carpentry.  Observation  lessons. 

Second  Year. 

Framing.  Inspection  of  brick  work.  Straight- 
ening, squaring  and  plumbing.  Bracing,  tying 
and  bridging.  Sizing  studs,  joists,  etc.  For- 
mation of  cornices.  Setting  window  frames. 
Shingling  and  flooring.  Weather  boarding  and 
boxing.  Lectures  and  supplementary  studies. 
Problems  in  carpentry.  Selection  of  building 
sites  and  examination  of  building  soils. 

BLACKSMITH  SHOP  —  First  Year. 

First  Term  :  —  Cleaning  the  shop.  Making 
fires.  Names  of  the  tools  and  their  uses.  Care 


Tuskegee  57 


of  the  tools  and  their  places.  The  importance 
of  keeping  water  and  coal  in  the  troughs,  also 
economy.  Striking.  The  different  size  drills 
and  how  to  run  a  drill  press.  The  different  size 
stocks  and  dies,  also  how  to  cut  threads.  How 
to  keep  shop  in  order.  Compositions  are  writ- 
ten on  these  subjects  weekly. 

Second  Term  :  —  The  use  of  the  hand  ham- 
mer and  tongs.  The  figures  on  the  rule  and 
measurements.  The  different  sizes  of  iron. 
The  formation  of  iron  and  steel.  Welding  iron, 
also  the  different  kinds  of  welds, viz.  :  Plain,  jump, 
dovetail,  and  also  long  and  short  laps  and  their 
effects,  and  scarifying.  The  use  of  sand.  Prac- 
tice in  making  lap  links,  lap  rings,  staples,  hasps, 
S-hooks,  gate  hooks,  hame  hooks  and  round 
rings.  Resetting  tires,  and  the  use  of  the  trav- 
eler. Compositions  are  written  on  these  sub- 
jects monthly,  and  monthly  examinations  are 
given  in  all  work. 

Third  Term  :  —  The  use  of  welding  com- 
pound. Welding  steel,  viz. :  Spring,  tire,  axle 
and  tool.  How  to  get  the  measurement  on  jobs 
without  the  bed.  Welding  and  setting  axles. 
Measurement  of  the  track  of  axles.  Welding 
and  setting  tires,  also  dish  of  new  wheels.  Mak- 
ing clips,  nuts,  brace  ends  ;  also  welding  braces 
the  proper  length.  Putting  work  together. 
Bench  work,  viz.  :  Filing,  clipping,  jointing  and 
fancy  work.  The  effect  of  sand  and  emery 
paper  on  finished  work.  Compositions  on  these 
subjects  each  month. 


58  Tuskegee 

Second  Year. 

First  Term  :  —  Horseshoeing.  The  condition 
of  a  shoeing  floor.  How  to  make  a  shoer's  fire. 
The  name  and  use  of  shoeing  tools.  What  a 
mould  is  and  how  to  make  it  ;  also  how  to 
strike  on  a  shoe.  The  names  and  sizes  of  shoes 
and  nails,  also  the  different  kinds  of  shoes. 
How  to  file  a  shoe,  how  to  pull  off  a  shoe,  how 
to  trim  a  foot  and  clinch  a  shoe.  The  different 
parts  of  a  foot  and  how  to  drive  a  nail.  The 
different  kinds  of  shoes  that  are  used  for  horses 
with  different  ways  of  traveling ;  also  different 
shaped  feet.  Special  lessons  in  fitting  for  special 
cases.  Monthly  compositions. 

Second  Term  :  —  Wagon  work,  such  as  farm 
wagons,  express  wagons  and  platform  wagons. 
Dash  and  rail  work,  and  the  different  kinds  and 
names.  Fender  work.  Make  different  kinds  of 
tools,  also  tempering.  Work  from  drawings. 
Repairing  different  parts  of  buggies.  Estimat- 
ing cost  of  different  articles,  and  jobs.  Trim- 
ming up  of  jobs.  Compositions  monthly  on  these 
subjects. 

Third  Term:  —  Buggy  gear  work.  Body 
and  hoop  work.  Practice  in  truck  and  carriage 
forging.  Different  kinds  of  traps  and  their 
names.  Talks  on  general  work  are  given  each 
day.  Repair  work  of  an  advanced  order  is  done 
by  the  students  while  this  course  is  being 
taught. 

During  one  of  my  first  visits  to  Tuskegee,  I 


Tuskegee  59 

happened  to  be  passing  the  blacksmith  shop  late 
one  afternoon,  and  looking  in  through  the  door 
saw  all  of  the  young  men  in  the  shop  gathered 
in  a  group,  and  so  intent  upon  something  in 
their  midst,  that  I  went  in  to  see  what  it  was 
that  interested  them.  I  found  that  they  were 
gathered  around  an  anvil  which  the  teacher  was 
using  as  a  demonstration  table,  and  on  which  he 
had  placed  the  lower  joints  and  hoofs  of  the  hind 
legs  and  forward  legs  of  a  dead  horse.  With 
them  he  also  had  the  articulated  skeletons  of 
similar  members.  Each  hoof  was  dissected  be- 
fore the  class,  and  while  this  was  being  done,  it 
was  easy  to  show  the  students  just  how  a  shoe 
should  be  nailed  on  in  order  to  get  the  best 
effects,  and  how  driving  even  one  nail  wrongly 
or  carelessly  might  do  great  harm.  It  seemed 
to  me  as  if  this  was  a  very  desirable  exercise  for 
a  young  blacksmith  to  have,  and  yet  I  doubt  if 
many  apprentices  in  shop  work  get  such  lessons 
as  this.  At  the  time,  I  supposed  that  this  was 
an  exceptional  occurrence  which  I  had  happened 
on  by  chance,  but  as  I  became  more  familiar 
with  the  methods  of  instruction  at  Tuskegee,  I 
found  that  this  was  only  a  regular  "  theory  les- 
son," such  as  is  held  in  all  of  the  trades'  classes 
during  the  last  hour  of  every  afternoon,  four  or 
five  days  in  the  week. 

The  question  may  be  asked,  "  Does  the  teach- 
ing of  trades  in  such  a  school  as  Tuskegee  give 
practical  results  ?  "  It  seems  to  me  that  it  does, 
and  I  happen  to  have  an  illustration  of  what  the 


60  Tuskegee 

blacksmith  class  docs  in  this  line,  which  seems 
to  me  to  be  interesting,  and  which  came  under 
my  observation  entirely  by  chance. 

I  had  gone  to  the  town  of  Greensboro,  Ala- 
bama, to  see  a  young  man  who  had  graduated 
from  the  tinsmith  department  at  Tuskegee  and 
gone  into  business  at  Greensboro.  When  I 
called  at  the  house  where  this  man  boarded,  he 
was  not  at  home,  but  a  young  colored  man  at  the 
same  house,  who  heard  me  state  my  errand, 
came  forward  and  said,  "  I  am  from  Tuskegee, 
too.  Won't  you  come  in  ?  I  am  so  glad  to  see 
any  one  who  has  been  at  the  school."  Greens- 
boro is  between  one  hundred  and  one  hundred 
and  fifty  miles  from  Tuskegee. 

I  found  on  talking  to  this  young  man  that  he 
had  learned  his  trade  in  the  blacksmith  class  at 
Tuskegee,  leaving  the  school  the  year  before, 
and  had  been  in  business  for  himself  at  Greens- 
boro for  very  nearly  a  year.  His  name  is  William 
M.  Thomas,  and  his  shop  in  Greensboro  is  on 
Tuscaloosa  street.  As  a  boy,  he  had  wanted  to 
learn  to  be  a  blacksmith,  and  a  family  of  white 
people  in  Greensboro,  with  whom  he  had  lived 
for  several  years,  told  him  of  Tuskegee,  and 
advised  him  to  go  there.  He  entered  the  school 
in  1894,  and  remained  four  years,  paying  his 
way  by  work  while  he  was  there.  At  the  end 
of  four  years  he  left  school  to  go  into  business 
for  himself,  and  returned  to  Greensboro,  where 
the  same  friends  lent  him  twenty-five  dollars  with 
which  to  open  a  shop.  From  what  he  had  earned 


Tuskegee  61 

during  the  year  he  had  paid  this  money  back, 
had  supported  himself,  and  had  bought  and  paid 
for  a  small  house  and  lot  of  land.  I  might  add 
here,  what  he  did  not  tell  me,  but  what  I  learned 
afterwards  at  the  school,  that  he  regularly  sends 
a  sum  of  money  to  the  school  as  a  gift,  to  help 
along  the  work.  This,  by  the  way,  a  great  many 
of  the  graduates  do,  however  cramped  their  means 
may  be.  This  young  man  has  a  good  shop,  had 
two  apprentices  working  for  him  when  I  was 
there,  and  had  all  the  work  he  could  do,  almost 
all  of  it  from  white  customers. 

I  happened  to  ask  this  blacksmith  some  ques- 
tion about  the  relative  amount  of  work  which  he 
had  done  in  two  different  months.  "Wait  a 
minute,"  he  said,  "and  I  will  tell  you  exactly." 
He  brought  out  an  account  book,  and  from  it 
was  able  to  give  me,  not  only  each  month's  busi- 
ness, but  each  day's,  and  could  tell  just  what 
part  of  this  was  from  shoeing,  and  what  part  was 
from  repairing.  From  this  he  was  able  to  explain 
why  a  falling  off  of  forty  dollars  from  September's 
work  to  October's  did  not  mean  that  the  regular 
work  of  the  shop  had  suffered,  but  that  the  fact 
that  the  farmers  were  getting  their  wagons  ready 
for  the  cotton  crop  had  temporarily  swelled  the 
amount  of  work  done  in  September. 

What  impressed  this  on  my  mind  was  his  say- 
ing, as  he  closed  the  book,  "  I  shouldn't  have 
known  how  to  do  this  if  I  hadn't  been  to  Tus- 
kegee. That  is  one  of  the  things  they  taught  us 
there." 


62  Tuskegee 


"  How  do  I  feel  towards  Tuskegee? "  he  said, 
repeating  my  question,  as  if  he  wondered  why  I 
should  ask  it.  "I  feel  towards  Tuskegee  as 
towards  a  father." 

In  the  course  of  study  for  blacksmithing, 
quoted  near  the  beginning  of  this  chapter,  it  will 
have  been  noticed  that  at  the  end  of  each  term's 
course  there  is  added  :  "  Compositions  on  these 
subjects  each  month."  Some  one  may  have 
said,  on  reading  that,  "What  use?"  While  I 
was  at  Greensboro,  talking  with  Mr.  Thomas, 
who,  by  the  way,  was  only  a  little  over  twenty 
years  old  when  he  went  to  work  for  himself,  he 
said :  "  When  I  came  back  here  and  opened  a 
shop  a  good  many  folks  thought  I  was  too  young 
to  know  my  trade ;  so  I  wrote  a  piece  about 
horseshoeing,  and  had  it  printed  in  the  local 
paper."  At  my  request  he  procured  for  me  a 
copy  of  this  paper,  the  Greensboro  Watchman,  for 
April  19,  1899,  in  which  the  advertisement  was 
printed.  I  imagine  the  advertisement  paid  for 
itself,  without  any  doubt.  I  found  it  so  inter- 
esting, for  many  reasons,  that  I  quote  it 
verbatim.  It  should  be  remembered  that  this 
man  had  very  little  education  when  he  went 
to  Tuskegee,  that  he  paid  his  way  by  work  dur- 
ing the  four  years  that  he  was  there,  much  of 
the  time  attending  the  academic  classes  only  at 
night,  and  that  he  did  not  remain  to  complete 
the  academic  course.  He  is  only  one  of  many  who 
have  learned  the  same  trade  at  Tuskegee,  and 
are  now  doing  equally  good  work  for  themselves. 


Tuskegee  63 

HORSESHOEING. 

"Among  the  many  trades  of  man  these  two 
stand  high  —  blacksmithing  and  horseshoeing. 
Horseshoeing  has  been  done  ever  since  the  horse 
has  been  trained  to  the  use  of  man.  The  first 
shoeing  that  was  known  was  made  of  rawhide, 
and  tied  to  the  foot.  I  do  not  know  where  it 
was  tied,  but  anyway,  it  was  used  as  a  protection 
to  the  foot.  Later  on,  when  man  advanced  to  a 
higher  circle  of  civilization,  science  and  art,  he 
found,  by  the  examination  of  a  dead  horse's  foot, 
that  the  shoe  could  be  made  of  iron  and  nailed 
on.  I  suppose  the  first  man  that  discovered  it 
was  the  first  to  nail  it  on. 

"  Now,  up  to  this  age  of  the  day  we  have  159 
kinds  of  shoes  ;  and  out  of  this  number  of  shoes 
I  have  made  forty-six  kinds  for  one  foot  —  for 
calking,  ankle-skinning,  knee-hitting,  over-reach- 
ing, knuckling,  corns,  founder,  stumbler,  runner, 
keel-joint,  dropped  sole,  seedy  toe,  and  others 
which  I  shall  not  take  the  time  to  mention.  For 
a  man  to  be  a  successful  shoer,  he  must  know 
the  shoes  mentioned  above,  and  their  use.  Many 
men  call  themselves  horseshoers,  but  they  do 
not  know  what  a  careful  piece  of  mechanism  a 
horse's  foot  is,  and  the  least  awkward  lick  will 
get  it  out  of  gear. 

"  A  horse's  foot  has  over  two  hundred  different 
parts  to  it,  and  for  you  to  shoe  a  horse  right  you 
must  have  them  located. 

"  The  bars  of  a  horse's  foot  should  not  be  cut ; 


64 


T 


u  s  K  e  er  e  e 


g 


but  nine-tenths  of  our  smiths  cut  them  away,  not 
knowing  what  use  they  are.  They  answer  the 
same  purpose  to  the  foot  that  joists  do  to  a  house. 
Many  other  things  I  would  like  to  mention,  but 
space  will  not  allow  me. 

"  I  shall  give  you  a  light  sketch  of  heavy  shoes, 
and  their  abuse. 

"  For  an  example  :  Suppose  a  horse  shod  with 
shoes  weighing  two  pounds  each,  and  traveling 
at  such  a  jog  as  to  require  him  to  lift  his  feet  all 
around,  once  a  second,  or  sixty  times  a  minute, 
keeping  up  his  speed  for  five  hours,  how  much 
work  does  he  perform  —  that  is,  how  much  does 
he  lift  ?  Lifting  one  foot  sixty  times  a  minute 
for  four  feet,  60  x  4  equals  240,  lifting  two  pounds 
each  time,  in  one  minute  he  will  lift  480  pounds, 
which  multiplied  by  60,  will  make  in  one  hour, 
28,800  pounds,  and  in  five  hours,  144,000  pounds, 
or  72  tons.  This  calculation  is  based  upon  the 
scientific  experiments  of  thinking  men  of  to-day. 
Hence  it  will  be  seen  at  a  glance  that  these 
heavy  shoes  cause  a  great  waste  of  energy,  and 
further,  that  the  weight  of  the  shoes  should  be 
determined  by  the  size  of  the  horse. 

WM.  M.  THOMAS." 

Greensboro,  Ala.,  April  10,  1899. 


ROBERT  L.    MABRY,    TAILOR.  JOSEPH    L.    BURKS,    GROCER. 


GEORGE   F.    BAKER,      99, 
SHOEMAKER. 


WILLIAM    M.    THOMAS, 
BLACKSMITH. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

EXCEPT  for  a  small  entrance  fee,  there  is  no 
charge  for  tuition  in  any  of  the  departments 
of  the  Institute,  because,  almost  without  excep- 
tion, up  to  this  time  the  students  have  been  too 
poor  to  be  able  to  come  to  school  if  they  were 
obliged  to  pay  tuition.  It  is  this  which 
makes  it  necessary  to  look  to  generous  friends 
outside  the  institution  for  a  large  share  of  the 
money  required  to  meet  the  running  expenses. 
The  charge  for  furnished  room,  board  and  laun- 
dry, is  only  eight  dollars  per  month.  Small  as 
this  would  make  the  aggregate  expense  in  a 
year,  fully  half  of  the  students  are  obliged 
to  attend  the  night  school  for  the  first  one 
or  two  years  they  are  at  Tuskegee,  in  order 
to  obtain  money  with  which  to  complete  the 
course. 

The  day  school  is  designed  for  those  students 
who  pay  for  their  board,  study  in  the  day,  and 
have  six  work  days  in  a  month  —  one  day  in 
each  week  and  every  other  Saturday.  Students 
are  compelled  to  work  on  these  days.  Day  stu- 
dents are  given  an  opportunity  to  work  out  a 
part  of  their  expenses,  if  they  wish.  With  a 
good  outfit  of  clothing,  forty-five  or  fifty  dol- 
lars is  sufficient  money  to  carry  an  industrious 
student  through  a  school  year  of  nine  months. 
The  rate  of  wages  depends  upon  the  amount 


66.  Tuskegee 

of  work  a  student  can  perform,  and  the  cash 
value  of  the  same.  At  the  end  of  each  month 
a  bill  is  given  to  every  student,  showing  what 
he  may  owe  the  school,  or  what  the  school  owes 
him. 

The  night  school  is  designed  for  young  men 
and  women  who  wish  to  educate  themselves,  but 
who  are  not  able  to  pay  even  the  small  charge 
made  for  board  in  the  day  school.  No  student 
is  allowed  to  enter  the  night  school  who  is  under 
sixteen  years  of  age,  or  who  is  physically  unable 
to  perform  an  adult's  labor.  Students  will  not 
be  admitted  who  are  known  to  be  able  to  enter 
the  day  school,  and  whenever  a  student  has 
fraudulently  secured  admission  he  is  dismissed 
from  the  night  school  and  must  enter  the  day 
school  or  leave  the  institution.  When  students 
enter  the  school  they  are  assigned  work  by  the 
director  of  industries.  Frequently  students  wish 
to  be  given  work  at  some  special  trade,  and  when- 
ever this  is  possible  it  is  done.  In  assigning 
students  the  director  is  guided  by  the  individual's 
natural  ability,  intelligence  to  grasp  the  trade, 
and  physical  ability  to  perform  the  necessary 
duties.  At  the  beginning  of  the  school  year  it 
often  happens  that  certain  industrial  departments 
are  quickly  filled,  and  students  wishing  to  enter 
these  departments  after  that  are  given  miscella- 
neous work  to  perform  until  the  desired  vacan- 
cies occur. 

That  their  lack  of  money  obliges  so  many  of 
the  students  to  enter  the  night  school,  and  to 


Tuskegee  67 

work  during  the  day,  is  probably  no  disadvantage 
to  them  in  the  end.  Although  nearly  all  of  the 
young  men  and  women  who  come  to  Tuskegee 
have  been  accustomed  to  work,  and  to  work 
hard,  before  they  come  to  the  Institute,  very 
few  of  them  have  had  any  knowledge  of  those 
methods  of  labor  by  which  the  best  results  may 
be  obtained.  The  months  which  these  young 
persons  spend  in  systematic  labor,  under  the 
careful  direction  of  instructors  who  are  skilled 
in  the  best  modern  methods  of  work,  form  as 
much  a  part  of  their  education  and  as  valuable  a 
part,  I  believe,  as  anything  they  will  learn  from 
books. 

Students  having  no  previous  knowledge  of  the 
trade  at  which  they  work  are  allowed  to  work 
out  their  board  bill  during  the  first  six  months. 
As  their  work  becomes  more  valuable  their 
wages  are  increased  proportionately.  No  stu- 
dents except  those  who  work  at  Marshall  Farm 
are  paid  cash  for  their  labor ;  what  they  earn 
goes  to  their  credit,  to  be  drawn  upon  for  their 
expenses  after  they  enter  the  day  school. 

I  mentioned  in  the  last  chapter  a  visit  which  I 
made  to  Greensboro,  Alabama,  to  see  a  graduate 
who  is  in  business  there  as  a  tinsmith  and  roofer. 
This  man's  name  is  William  Pearson,  and  he  has 
a  shop  on  the  main  street  of  the  town.  He  was 
a  native  of  Lafayette,  Alabama,  who  heard  of 
Tuskegee  through  a  student  who  had  been  at 
the  school,  and  went  there.  The  first  year  he 
worked  on  the  farm  and  attended  night  school. 


68  Tuskegee 

The  next  year  he  entered  the  tinsmith  depart- 
ment. He  graduated  from  Tuskegee  in  1897, 
and  after  working  in  Opelika,  Alabama,  for  a 
time,  came  to  Greensboro  and  opened  a  shop 
for  himself.  He  had  already  built  up  a  good 
trade,  nearly  all  of  it  from  white  customers. 
Among  other  work  he  had  just  completed  a  job 
on  the  roof  of  the  Southern  University  there, 
one  of  the  most  successful  white  schools  in  the 
state.  Greensboro,  by  the  way,  is  the  home  of 
Lieutenant  Hobson,  and  Mr.  Pearson  had  not 
long  before  completed  a  job  of  repairs  on  the 
roof  of  the  Hobson  mansion,  a  beautiful  old 
house  surrounded  by  magnificent  grounds.  I 
asked  this  young  man,  also,  how  he  felt  towards 
Tuskegee.  He  said,  "  I  feel  that  I  owe  all  that 
I  am  to  Tuskegee." 

The  course  of  study  which  this  young  man  fol- 
lowed at  Tuskegee,  in  common  with  all  the 
members  of  the  tinsmith  class,  was  as  follows : 

First  Year. 

First  Term  :  —  How  to  keep  the  shop.  Names 
of  machines  and  how  to  use  them.  How  to  stop 
holes  in  old  tin,  and  how  to  hold  soldering  cups 
to^solder.  How  to  turn  burs  and  put  on  spring 
bottom.  How  to  turn  locks  on  folding  machines. 

Second  Term  :  —  To  cut  and  make  small  cups 
and  such  other  small  vessels  as  can  be  made 
from  scraps.  How  to  do  the  soldering  on  neat 
and  small  vessels.  Review  work  of  first  term. 

Third  Term  :  —  To  do  heavy  repairing,  such 


Tuskegee  69 

as  putting  in  bottoms  with  double  seams.  How 
to  make  larger  cups.  How  to  make  small  pans. 
How  to  do  important  repairing. 

Second  Year. 

First  Term  :  —  The  difference  in  soldering 
heavy  and  light  seams.  How  to  make  small 
buckets,  large  buckets,  and  flared  buckets. 
Special  attention  given  to  the  art  of  using  the 
shears. 

Second  Term:  —  How  to  cut  simple  patterns. 
How  to  make  large  pans,  such  as  milk  pans, 
round  cake  pans  and  wash  pans.  How  to  make 
dish  pans,  slop  cans,  foot-bath  tubs  and  coffee 
pots.  How  to  make  pans,  buckets  and  cans  in 
different  shapes.  The  fluids  used  in  soldering 
different  metals. 

Third  Term  :  —  The  use  of  square  and  com- 
pass. How  to  get  the  different  angles.  How 
to  cut  patterns.  How  to  put  on  tin  roofs.  How 
to  make  and  put  on  conductor  pipes.  How  to 
get  the  cost  of  work.  How  to  work  zinc,  as  in 
lining  bath  tubs  and  boxes. 

In  this  course,  as  in  most  of  the  metal  work- 
ing classes,  the  last  hour  in  the  afternoon 
alternates  between  theory  lessons  and  drawing. 
The  wood-working  classes  also  have  practice  in 
wood  turning. 

One  of  the  departments  which  I  have  always 
found  particularly  interesting  is  the  machine 
shop  and  foundry.  At  the  time  of  my  last  visit 
to  Tuskegee  there  were  thirty-two  young  men 


jo  Tuskegee 

at  work  in  this  department.  Six  of  these  were 
seniors,  and  were  working  their  third  and  last 
year  in  the  shop ;  the  others  had  been  there  a 
shorter  time.  These  men,  when  they  go  from 
the  shop  after  a  three  years'  course  of  instruc- 
tion and  labor,  will  be  thoroughly  well  able  to  do 
general  machine  shop  and  foundry  work,  and  to 
act  as  engineers  up  to  a  rather  high  grade  of 
engine.  In  the  latter  branch  of  the  work  they 
get  a  good  deal  more  drill  than  do  apprentices 
in  most  machine  shops,  as  the  boys  in  the  senior 
class  at  Tuskegee  take  all  the  care  of  the  engine, 
each  being  in  charge  a  week  at  a  time.  Several 
graduates  from  this  department  hold  excellent 
positions,  in  different  parts  of  the  South,  and  a 
large  number  of  others  are  doing  good  work  at 
their  trades. 

The  boys  in  the  machine  shop  have  built  the 
two  engines  which  furnish  the  power  in  the 
Institute's  printing  office,  and  also  the  two  which 
run  the  machinery  in  the  laundry.  The  young 
man  who  was  running  one  of  these  engines  in 
the  printing  office,  at  the  time,  was  a  good  ex- 
ample of  the  typical  Tuskegee  student.  Two 
years  before  he  "had  come  out  of  the  bush,"  as 
they  say  there  —  that  is,  he  had  come  to  the 
school  from  back  on  a  plantation  where  he  had 
grown  up  with  no  opportunities  whatever ;  had 
never  even  seen  an  engine  of  any  kind.  Already, 
two  years  had  made  a  capable  workman  of  him. 

In  addition  to  building  the  four  engines  which 
I  have  mentioned,  the  students  had  recently 


Tuskegee 


built  a  large  steam  pump  which  had  just  been 
sold  to  be  used  in  the  country,  and  while  I  was 
there  they  were  repairing  the  broken  machinery 
of  a  large  cane  mill,  the  parts  of  which  had  been 
brought  several  miles  to  the  shop.  In-  making 
such  repairs  as  this  the  Institute's  shops  are  a 
great  convenience  to  the  surrounding  country, 
as  there  are  no  other  shops  within  thirty  miles 
which  have  facilities  for  doing  such  heavy  work. 
A  part  of-  the  class  were  employed  at  that  time 
putting  the  plumbing  into  the  bath  rooms  in  a 
girls'  dormitory  then  in  course  of  construction ; 
and  the  theory  classes  in  the  machine  shop  when 
I  attended  their  sessions  were  occupied  with  a 
discussion  of  the  questions  which  had  come  up 
in  connection  with  that  work. 

The  course  of  study  in  the  machine  shop  is  as 
follows :  — 

Students  entering  this  department  begin  with 
practice  and  theory  in  steam  and  water  piping. 
Instruction  is  given  daily  on  the  proper  manner 
of  piping  sinks,  ranges,  steam  boilers,  engines 
and  residences.  Each  student  will  have  several 
hours  each  week  during  work  time  for  practice 
in  foundry  work  —  preparing  moulds  for  castings 
of  all  kinds,  making  cores,  drawing  patterns  and 
cupola  management.  The  course  in  machine 
work  will  then  begin  with  work  on  the  bench 
with  vise  tools ;  chipping,  riling,  brazing,  scrap- 
ing and  the  laying  off  of  work  for  power  ma- 
chines is  practiced  on  the  bench.  The  students 
are  then  given  work  on  an  improved,  back- 


72  Tuskegee 

geared  and  self-fed  drill,  and  instruction  is  given 
on  the  grinding  of  the  various  tools  used  on  the 
machine.  Work  in  centering,  reaming,  facing, 
counter-sinking  and  drilling  to  line  is  taken  up. 
The  use  of  the  boring-bar,  also  the  measurements 
and  sizes  of  the  standard  United  States  taps, 
dies  and  drills  for  same,  are  taught  on  this  ma- 
chine. 

Instruction  is  next  given  on  the  shaper,  con- 
sisting of  grinding  shearing  tools,  and  of  plain, 
square,  round  and  fancy  shaping,  with  the  use 
of  the  surface  gauge,  straight-edge,  bevel  square, 
micrometer,  etc.  Instruction  on  planer  work, 
the  management  of  belts,  the-  use  of  various 
planing  tools,  planing  straight,  taper  and  angle 
cuts,  the  use  of  the  boring-bar  and  center  in 
planer  work.  Instruction  in  lathe  work  begins 
with  the  feeds,  speeds,  and  the  various  tools  in 
turning  straight,  taper,  bevel  and  round  work, 
drilling,  reaming,  centering,  milling,  grinding 
and  screw-cutting.  The  use  of  the  lathe  tools, 
such  as  rests,  back-gears,  cross  feeds,  boring- 
bars,  mandrels,  arbors,  center-indicators  and 
micrometers,  will  be  given. 

Students  will  have  an  opportunity  to  design 
and  construct  some  tool  or  piece  of  mechanism, 
and  experiments  will  be  made  in  steam  engineer- 
ing, the  management  of  steam  boilers,  heaters, 
steam  pumps,  etc.  Each  class  in  the  machine 
and  engineering  departments  will  be  expected 
to  design  and  construct,  ready  for  use,  some 
machine,  pump,  or  engine,  such  as  may  be  used 


CLASS    IN    DAIRY    WORK. 


STUDENTS   AT   WORK    IN    MACHINE   SHOP. 


Tuskegee  73 

in  the  trade,  during  each  term  of  their  study, 
the  drawings  and  specifications  for  the  same  to 
be  submitted  to  the  instructor  for  approval. 

Something  which  one  of  the  young  men  in 
the  machine  shop  said  one  day  amused  me,  and 
at  the  same  time  impressed  me  as  an  illustration 
of  the  great  indirect  influence  which  the  school 
is  all  the  time  exerting,  and  which  I  believe  is 
destined  to  be  almost  as  great  a  power  for  good 
as  the  more  direct  results  of  the  school. 

Deficient  in  the  conveniences  for  proper  train- 
ing as  are  so  many  of  the  homes  from  which  the 
students  come,  it  is  essential  that  Tuskegee 
make  a  special  effort  to  inculcate  habits  of  per- 
sonal cleanliness.  Abundant  bath  rooms  with 
an  ample  supply  of  hot  and  cold  water  are  pro- 
vided, and  all  of  the  students  are  obliged  to  bathe 
twice  a  week,  and  advised  to  bathe  daily.  Mr. 
Washington  is  an  earnest  advocate  of  what  he 
calls  the  "  gospel  of  the  night  shirt  and  the  tooth 
brush,"  and  many  are  the  practical  talks  which 
the  students  hear,  under  suitable  conditions, 
upon  these  and  similar  topics. 

I  was  talking  one  day  in  the  machine  shop 
with  a  young  man  who  was  then  in  his  first  year 
as  a  student  at  the  school.  He  had  come  from  a 
home  a  considerable  distance  away — in  .another 
state,  in  fact  —  and  had  been  telling  me  about 
his  life  at  home  and  his  present  plans. 

"But,  say!  "  he  broke  out,  after  a  moment's 
pause,  "  I  had  worn  a  night  shirt,  nights,  for 
over  a  year,  before  I  came  here.  It  was  like 


74  Tuskcgee 

this,  "  he  explained,  "  "  A  fellow  whom  I  had 
always  known,  who  was  a  student  here,  came 
home  for  vacation.  He  was  telling  me  about 
the  school,  and  among  other  things,  he  told  me 
that  all  of  the  fellows  here  wore  night  shirts,  and 
told  me  what  good  things  they  were.  After  he 
was  gone  back,  I  thought  to  myself  that  if  night 
shirts  were  such  good  things,  I'd  better  try 
them.  So  I  went  and  bought  me  a  pair  and  be- 
gan to  wear  them,  and  say  !  I  wouldn't  have 
been  without  t-hem  since  for  twice  the  money.  " 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

FOR  some  time  after  the  Institute  was  estab- 
lished the  students  as  a  general  thing  were  not 
anxious  to  learn  trades.  They  were  glad  to  work 
while  at  the  school,  but  it  was  as  a  means  to  an 
end  and  not  for  the  sake  of  what  the  work  would 
teach  them.  Often  the  parents  who  sent  them 
wanted  their  children  "  taught  books."  The  last 
five  or  six  years  have  seen  a  change  in  this 
respect.  Now,  almost  without  exception,  the 
students  wish  to  learn  a  trade,  and  the  applica- 
tions for  places  in  the  trades  classes  are  often 
more  than  the  school  can  accommodate. 

I  asked  Mr.  J.  H.  Washington,  the  director 
of  industries,  what  he  thought  had  brought 
about  the  change.  He  said  :  "  Formerly  the 
majority  of  the  students  wanted  what  they  called 
'  a  nice  job,'  one  in  which  they  could  be,  as  they 
said,  '  gentlemen.'  Money  was  no  object.  Now, 
partly  from  the  teachings  of  the  school,  I  think, 
and  partly  from  observation,  they  are  coming  to 
have  a  very  different  idea  with  regard  to  work. 
They  have  found  that  it  is  not  necessary  for  a 
man  to  be  dirty,  simply  because  he  works  at  a 
trade  or  on  the  farm.  They  are  coming  to  see, 
too,  that  a  man  can  hope  to  have  little  recogni- 
tion unless  he  has  some  tangible  results  to  show 
for  his  labor." 

The  favorite   trade   at    present   seems  to  be 


Tuskegee 


tailoring ;  at  least  there  are  more  applications  for 
entrance  into  this  class  than  to  any  other.  About 
thirty  young  men  and  ten  young  women  can  be 
given  instruction  in  this  department.  The  course 
of  study  requires  two  years.  Wheelwrighting, 
machine-shop  work  and  blacksmith  ing  are  also 
trades  which  attract  large  numbers. 

One  only  needs  to  see  the  work  to  know  that 
it  is  practical.  Hearing  a  sound  of  hammers  one 
day,  as  I  was  passing  a  building  which  was  being 
converted  into  a  boys'  dormitory,  I  went  in  to 
see  what  work  was  being  done  there.  Four 
young  men  were  laying  floor  —  laying  a  good 
floor,  too,  Three  of  these  were  in  their  first 
year  at  the  Institute.  They  were  working  under 
the  oversight  of  the  fourth,  a  young  man  in  his 
second  year  of  study.  While  I  was  in  the  build- 
ing, one  of  the  instructors  in  carpentry  came  in 
to  see  how  the  work  was  going  on.  He  had 
squads  of  men  at  work  like  this,  in  half  a  dozen 
places,  and  divided  his  time  among  them. 

In  the  carpenter  shop,  a  little  distance  away, 
several  members  of  the  class  were  at  work  mak- 
ing the  door  frames  and  window  frames  to  be 
put  into  Huntington  Hall.  The  brick  masons 
had  completed  their  work  on  this  building  a  few 
days  before,  and  the  carpenters  had  taken  it  in 
hand.  Just  at  that  time  the  men  in  one  squad 
were  engaged  in  putting  on  the  roof,  and  when  I 
went  through  the  yard  in  front  of  the  carpenter 
shop,  late  that  afternoon,  I  found  the  theory 
class  in  that  department  taking  up  for  their  lesson 


Tuskegee  77 

that  day  the  laying  out  of  a  roof  —  pitch,  length 
of  rafters,  and  similar  problems.  The  young  men 
were  gathered  around  the  instructor,  where  he 
had  placed  some  boards  upon  a  pair  of  wooden 
horses  in  the  yard,  and  first  one  and  then  another, 
with  try-square  and  pencil,  would  lay  off  a  plan 
of  a  roof  from  the  dimensions  given  him. 

These  theory  classes  are  utilized  in  all  the 
trades,  for  the  answering  of  questions  which  may 
arise  during  the  day's  work,  and  for  the  instruc- 
tion which  these  questions  suggest.  I  have  al- 
ways found  these  classes  extremely  interesting. 
In  the  saw  mill,  that  afternoon,  I  found  the  class 
practising  grading  lumber,  learning  to  see  quickly 
the  various  imperfections  in  a  stick  and  to  dis- 
tinguish into  what  grade  they  would  require  that 
the  lumber  be  sorted.  There  were  seven  young 
men  in  the  class,  all  of  them  of  such  superb 
physique  that  I  was  divided  in  my  admiration 
between  the  ease  with  which  they  handled  the 
heavy  timbers  and  the  interest  which  they  took 
in  the  classification  of  the  lumber. 

In  the  foundry  the  class  —  twelve  young  men, 
all  beginners  —  were  having  a  lesson  in  the  mak- 
ing of  "  cores  "  for  castings.  The  South  is  very 
generally  a  country  of  fireplaces,  and  one  of  the 
simplest  problems  for  these  new  students  in  the 
foundry  is  to  cast  "  andirons."  The  students  in 
the  machine-shop  take  founding  in  their  first 
year's  work.  It  falls  to  the  lot  of  some  of  the 
members  of  this  class  to  work  in  turn  at  firing 
the  boiler  and  running  the  engine  at  the  pump- 


78 


T  u  s 


e  e 


ing  station,  a  building  some  little  distance  from 
the  rest  of  the  school  buildings.  I  was  return- 
ing from  a  walk,  one  morning,  and  passing  near 
the  station  saw  the  boy  whose  business  it  was  to 
work  there,  and  another  boy,  so  absorbed  in  the 
contents  of  a  skillet  which  they  were  heating  at 
the  door  of  the  fire-box  that  they  were  quite  un- 
conscious of  my  approach  to  see  what  they  were 
cooking.  When  they  did  see  me  it  was  to  greet 
me  with  a  welcome  so  hearty  that  it  showed 
they  were  not  doing  something  which  they  ought 
not  to  do,  and  they  at  once  set  to  work  to  show 
me  how  they  were  making  the  castings  for  a  small 
—  very  small  —  steam-engine  which  they  were 
planning  to  build.  They  had  whittled  out  the 
patterns,  and  made  their  moulds  in  a  little  box 
of  sand,  and  now  were  melting  "  Babbitt  metal  " 
with  which  to  make  their  castings.  I  remained 
long  enough  to  see  the  liquid  metal  poured  into 
the  moulds,  and  although  I  had  a  fear  that  this 
particular  engine  would  never  "run,"  I  have 
little  doubt  that  some  day  these  same  young 
machinists  will  build  one  which  will. 

Coming  in  from  the  same  walk,  I  found  near 
Huntington  Hall  a  rough  "  practice  "  fireplace, 
which  one  of  the  beginners  in  bricklaying  had 
been  building  there.  The  teacher  of  brick  ma- 
sonry had  let  the  boy  build  it  there,  where  he 
could  instruct  him  while  he  was  overseeing  the 
more  advanced  students  at  work  on  the  walls  of 
Huntington  Hall.  The  ways  like  this  in  which 
time  and  opportunities  are  utilized  are  endless. 


Tuskegee  79 

Prom  Ocober  to  March  of  each  year  one  of  the 
most  skillful  students  in  brick  work  goes  to  Tus- 
kegee town  three  evenings  in  a  week  to  teach 
the  trade  to  such  colored  men  there  as  may  wish 
to  learn,  but  who  have  not  time  to  spare  except 
in  the  evening.  The  class  meets  in  a  room 
which  Mr.  Washington  hired  for  that  purpose, 
and  usually  from  eight  to  ten  men  avail  them- 
selves of  the  opportunity. 

That  Mr.  Washington  practices  what  he 
preaches  in  regard  to  industrial  education  may 
be  seen  from  the  fact  that  his  own  son  is  learn- 
ing the  brick  mason's  trade.  When  this  boy  was 
ten  years  old  he  began  regular  work,  a  certain 
number  of  hours  each  week,  with  the  mason's 
class.  I  saw  him  when  he  was  fourteen  years 
old  laying  brick  in  the  walls  of  the  new  Hunting- 
ton  engine  and  boiler  house,  and  I  had  seen,  pre- 
viously to  that,  an  excellent  job  of  repairing  a 
break  in  a  plastered  wall  which  he  had  done  in 
the  house  in  which  his  father  then  lived.  I 
heard  Mr.  Washington  say,  in  a  public  address  in 
New  Orleans,  in  referring  to  this :  "I  do  not 
know  that  my  boy  will  be  a  mason  when  he 
grows  up  ;  he  may  be  a  doctor  or  a  lawyer  or  a 
minister,  for  all  I  know  ;  but  this  I  do  know  — 
he  will  have  a  good  solid  trade  to  fall  back  on  if 
he  needs  it." 

One  of  the  very  practical  departments  of  the 
school  is  that  which  teaches  harness  making, 
saddlery  and  carriage  trimming.  In  a  country 
where  nearly  a  half  of  the  going  about  is  done 


80  Tuskegee 

on  horseback  and  on  muleback,  as  is  the  case  in 
many  parts  of  the  South,  the  trade  of  saddle 
making  acquires  an  importance  which  in  the 
North  it  does  not  know.  This  shop  not  only 
makes  and  repairs  all  of  the  school's  harnesses  — 
no  small  task  where  between  fifty  and  a  hundred 
horses  and  mules  are  driven  and  worked  —  but 
has  a  good  trade  in  making  harnesses  and  sad- 
dles for  sale.  The  school's  carriages,  too,  of 
various  patterns,  are  trimmed  in  the  same  shop. 
The  course  of  instruction  which  the  pupils  have 
in  this  department  here  includes  :  — 

First  Yeat. 

First  Term:  —  Care  of  shop.  Names  and 
care  of  tools.  Thread-making  and  practice 
stitching. 

Second  Term  :  —  Quality  and  preparation  of 
leather.  Names  and  dimensions  of  straps.  Re- 
pairing all  grades  of  harness. 

Third  Term  :  —  Cleaning  and  oiling  harness. 
Making  odd  parts  of  harness  —  such  as  hame 
straps,  shaft  tugs,  bridle  fronts,  side  straps,  crup- 
per docks,  girths,  etc.  Fitting  and  finishing  up 
harnesses. 

Second  Year. 

First  Term  :  —  Review  of  work  of  first  year. 
Names  and  grades  of  trimmings.  Names 
and  grades  of  leather.  Economical  cutting  of 
leather. 

Second    Term :  —  Care    of    patent    leather. 


Tuskegee  81 

Stitching  of  patent  leather.  Cutting  patterns. 
Making  fancy  harnesses  —  such  as  coach,  buggy, 
truck,  and  all  grades  of  express  harnesses. 

Third  Term  :  —  Review  of  work  done  in  first 
and  second  years.  Finishing  work.  Making  all 
grades  of  cart  and  gig  saddles.  Inspection  and 
criticising  by  the  students  of  all  work  done  in 
the  shop.  The  course  in  carriage  trimming  is 
entirely  separate  from  this. 

I  went  into  the  harness  shop  one  afternoon 
when  the  theory  class  was  in  progress,  intending 
to  remain  only  a  few  minutes  ;  but  I  found  the 
work  there  so  interesting  that  I  spent  the  whole 
hour  there.  A  part  of  the  class,  beginners, 
were  having  what  might  be  called  a  competitive 
examination  in  blacking  and  polishing  pieces  of 
straps,  to  see  which  had  best  mastered  the  art. 
Another  boy  was  making  a  crupper  dock,  and 
showed  me  how  he  stuffed  it  with  flax-seed,  so 
as  to  make  it  at  the  same  time  flexible  and  solid. 
The  crupper  dock  this  boy  was  making  was  to 
replace  one  which  had  been  eaten  by  a  rat  with 
a  tooth  for  flax-seed,  and  the  spoiled  part  of  the 
harness  was  utilized  to  show  the  members  of  the 
class  the  need  of  keeping  a  harness  hung  up 
when  not  in  use,  and  the  danger  of  throwing  it 
down  upon  the  floor  of  a  stable.  Other  boys 
were  called  on  to  demonstrate  how  to  make  a 
"  turn  back,"  for  a  driving  harness.  Three  boys 
were  called  up  for  this  before  the  teacher  was 
satisfied  with  the  result.  The  third  boy's  expla- 
nation was  as  clear  as  could  have  been  any  stu- 


82  Tuskegee 

dent's  demonstration  of  a  problem  in  geometry. 
The  strip  of  leather  must  be  of  just  a  certain 
length  and  width,  to  begin  with,  and  then  split, 
trimmed,  and  stitched  in  certain  places  in  just 
such  a  way.  All  of  the  demonstrations  were 
practical,  the  students  in  their  heavy  aprons 
standing  around  one  of  the  large  work  benches 
in  the  shop. 

One  of  the  members  of  the  harness-making 
class  was  a  young  Cuban,  one  of  ten  students 
from  that  island  who  had  then  been  at  the  Insti- 
tute about  four  months.  When  these  students 
came  only  one  of  them  could  speak  any  English, 
but  they  had  learned  rapidly.  They  all  were 
enrolled  in  some  of  the  industrial  classes  of  the 
school,  getting  an  English  education  and  a  trade 
at  the  same  time,  with  a  view  to  returning  to 
Cuba,  fitted  to  meet  the  new  conditions  of  life 
in  that  island.  Mr.  Washington  said  to  me 
about  these  Cubans  at  the  school,  in  reply  to  a 
question  which  I  asked  him  :  "  My  idea  is  to 
give  these  students  industrial  training,  with  the 
thought  that  they  will  return  and  become  leaders 
in  industrial  work  among  their  people." 

What  the  director  of  industries  had  said  to 
me  about  the  students  coming  to  understand 
that  a  man  can  work  at  a  trade  or  on  a  farm 
and  still  keep  himself  neat,  frequently  came  back 
to  my  mind  in  the  evening,  as  I  watched  the 
students  in  chapel.  The  chapel  services  are 
held  in  the  Institute  church  every  evening  at 
8.20.  All  students  attend,  unless  previously 


Tuskegee  83 

excused,  and  the  members  of  the  faculty  attend 
very  generally  also. 

Imagine  a  lofty,  spacious  church,  beautifully 
finished  in  native  woods,  and  brilliantly  lighted 
with  electric  lights.  A  thousand  young  colored 
men  and  women  sit  facing  the  platform.  On 
the  platform  are  the  teachers,  and  in  the  gallery 
just  behind  is  a  choir  of  over  a  hundred  voices, 
with  an  organ,  a  piano,  and  an  orchestra  for  in- 
strumental accompaniment.  Professor  Charles 
G.  Harris,  the  school's  instructor  in  music,  di- 
rects the  choir.  The  service  is  simple :  music, 
a  prayer,  a  Bible  selection,  and  a  text  for  the 
day,  recited  by  the  leader  and  repeated  by  the 
school  in  concert.  When  Mr.  Washington  is  at 
Tuskegee  he  conducts  the  service.  His  Sunday 
evening  talks  to  the  students  have  always  been 
a  feature  of  the  school ;  they  have  been  heard 
now  by  thousands  of  young  men  and  women, 
and  treasured  up,  to  be  used  as  guides  in  later 
life.  When  Mr.  Washington  is  not  at  the  school 
Mr.  Logan  takes  his  place.  If  there  are  visitors 
at  the  Institute  they  frequently  speak  to  the 
students  at  this  time  for  a  few  minutes.  Some- 
times there  are  announcements  to  be  made  or 
some  general  instruction  to  be  given  to  the 
school  as  a  whole.  This  opportunity  is  also 
utilized  to  drill  the  students  in  a  body  in  chorus 
singing.  Tuskegee  has  always  striven  to  main- 
tain and  teach  the  beautiful,  old-time  plantation 
hymns,  and  there  is  hardly  ever  a  service  at 
which  one  or  more  of  these  is  not  sung. 


84  Tuskegee 

I  have  sometimes  heard  Mr.  Washington  say 
at  chapel :  "  Has  not  some  one  a  new  song  to- 
night, which  we  can  learn  ?  "  Sometimes  he  has 
to  repeat  the  request  two  or  three  times  before 
anyone  has  courage  to  respond.  Then,  far  back 
in  the  house,  some  single  voice  chants,  half  tim- 
idly at  first,  the  words  of  a  hymn  which  per- 
haps had  never  been  heard  before  outside  the 
backwoods  church  or  cabin  home  where  the 
singer  had  learned  it.  The  quaint,  high-pitched 
melody  rises  and  falls  —  a  voice  alone  —  until  a 
dozen  quick  ears  catch  the  theme  and  a  dozen 
voices  are  humming  an  accompaniment.  The 
second  time  the  refrain  is  reached  a  few  voices 
join  in  boldly,  a  hundred  follow,  and  then  a 
thousand,  sending  up  into  the  arches  of  the  roof 
such  a  volume  of  sound  as  one  is  rarely  permit- 
ted to  hear.  Mr.  Horace  White,  the  editor  of 
the  New  York  Evening  Post,  wrote  of  this  music, 
after  he  had  visited  Tuskegee  and  heard  the  stu- 
dents sing :  "  Nowhere  in  the  world,  in  non- 
professional  ranks,  have  I  heard  their  equals  in 
musical  gifts  and  training." 

At  the  chapel  services  the  young  men  sit  on 
one  side  of  the  house  and  the  young  women  on 
the  other.  The  two  main  entrances  to  the 
church  are  at  the  front  corners.  The  pews  are 
so  arranged  that  a  broad  aisle  leads  from  each  of 
the  entrances  down  to  the  ends  of  the  platform. 
These  aisles  are  connected  by  one  which  passes 
directly  in  front  of  the  platform  and  by  another 
parallel  to  this,  in  the  rear  of  the  room.  When 


Tuskegee  85 

the  service  is  finished  the  leader  nods  to  the 
young  woman  at  the  piano.  She  strikes  a  chord 
as  a  signal  for  attention  ;  another,  and  the  young 
women  rise ;  another,  they  turn  to  position,  and 
then,  keeping  step  to  the  music  of  the  orchestra, 
begin  to  march  out.  It  is  not  a  simple  matter, 
though,  this  marching  out,  for  the  line  starts  far 
back  by  the  door  and  the  young  women  come 
slowly,  two  by  two,  down  the  long  aisle  to  the 
stage,  across  in  front  of  the  stage,  up  the  other 
side  aisle,  across  the  room  again  at  the  rear,  and 
then,  having  completed  a  square,  out  at  the 
entrance  by  which  they  came  in  to  the  service. 
Meanwhile,  as  if  it  were  not  a  sufficiently  trying 
ordeal  to  file  slowly  around  the  room  in  this  way, 
with  the  eyes  of  all  the  rest  of  the  audience  fixed 
upon  them,  the  young  woman  who  teaches  the 
girls  gymnastics  takes  her  station  at  the  foot  of 
the  first  aisle,  as  the  column  starts  to  move,  and 
inspects  each  student  as  she  passes  before  her. 
If  a  girl  does  not  carry  herself  erect,  or  if  any 
detail  of  her  dress  or  general  bearing  is  not 
absolutely  satisfactory,  the  hand  of  the  teacher 
stops  her  and  she  has  to  fall  out  of  line  and 
stand  there  in  the  eyes  of  all,  embarrassed  and 
humiliated. 

When  the  girls  have  marched  out  the  piano 
is  struck  again,  and  the  boys  rise  and  begin  to 
march  in  the  same  way,  going  around  the  audi- 
torium in  a  direction  opposite  to  that  taken  by 
the  girls.  Major  Ramsey,  the  instructor  in  mili- 
tary drill,  meets  the  boys  at  the  foot  of  their 


86  Tuskegee 

aisle,  and  perfect  indeed  must  be  the  deport- 
ment and  dress  of  the  boy  who  gets  past  him. 
Untidy  hair,  unbrushed  clothes,  dirt,  unblacked 
shoes,  a  button  off  or  even  a  button  of  a  coat 
left  unfastened,  and  out  of  the  line  the  unhappy 
culprit  comes.  Even  after  the  teacher  is  passed 
the  ordeal  is  not  over,  for  Mr.  Washington  or 
Mr.  Logan  conducts  a  second  inspection  of  the 
line  as  it  passes  his  place  on  the  platform. 

The  result  of  this  is  that  one  will  see  nowhere 
a  neater  or  more  neatly  dressed  company  of 
young  people  than  the  students  at  Tuskegee 
Institute.  In  whatever  work  they  may  have 
been  engaged  during  the  day,  its  traces  have 
been  removed  before  they  come  to  chapel,  or, 
for  that  matter,  before  they  come  to  their  supper, 
two  hours  earlier  in  the  evening. 

I  think  that  a  prominent  southern  white  man, 
who  understood  Negro  character  thoroughly, 
expressed  the  best  comment  on  this  when  he 
said  to  me,  not  long  after  watching  for  the  first 
time  that  nightly  march  in  Tuskegee  chapel :  "  I 
am  impressed  by  the  philosophy  of  it  all.  Here 
are  a  thousand  Negroes,  and  not  one  of  them 
with  a  button  missing  or  unfastened.  I  never 
saw  its  like  before." 


CHAPTER  IX. 

I  QUOTE  a  portion  of  one  of  Mr.  Washington's 
Sunday  evening  talks,  selecting  the  one  which 
he  gave  on  the  evening  of  February  4,  1900. 
He  chose  for  his  subject  that  night :  — 

WORK 

"  It  is  an  important  thing  to  learn  to  get  hap- 
piness and  even  information  out  of  what  one 
often  calls  the  common  and  rather  repulsive 
things  of  life.  One  of  the  most  interesting  books 
that  I  have  ever  seen  was  a  book  written  describ- 
ing the  beautiful  things  which  a  person  can  find 
in  a  common  mud-puddle  —  in  a  common  hole  of 
water,  such  as  you  see  on  the  roadside,  during 
the  summer  time  especially.  Now  you  would 
be  surprised  if  you  were  to  make  a  careful  inves- 
tigation, to  make  a  careful  study,  how  many 
really  charming  things  one  can  find  in  a  stagnant 
pool  of  water.  The  individual  who  has  really 
the  supreme  art  of  getting  happiness,  getting 
useful  information,  out  of  everything  that  is  in 
nature  is  a  very  happy  individual ;  and  that  is 
what  education  is  meant  to  accomplish  —  to  en- 
able one  to  get  that  which  is  beautiful,  to  get 
inspiration,  to  get  real  happiness  out  of  the  com- 
mon things  of  life  —  everything :  out  of  grass, 
out  of  trees,  out  of  animals  —  everything. 
When  a  person  can  learn  to  get  happiness,  in- 


88  Tuskegee 

formation,  out  of  what  we  term  the  common 
things  of  life,  that  person  has  learned  a  great 
deal,  and  it  is  one  of  the  last  things  that  an 
individual,  one  of  the  last  things  that  races,  are 
inclined  to  learn.  Now,  I  am  going  to  speak 
to  you  to-night  about  one  of  the  common  things 
of  life.  It  is  common  because  it  occupies  so 
large  a  proportion  of  our  time.  I  am  going  to 
speak  about  work  —  a  very  common  word. 

"  You  will  find  that  the  average  individual 
spends,  or  is  supposed  to  spend,  perhaps  about 
one-third  of  his  time  in  some  form  of  work. 
There  are  some  individuals  who  spend  ten  hours, 
some  twelve  hours,  or  rather  some  think  that 
they  spend  ten  or  twelve  hours  in  some  form  of 
labor.  Now,  here  is  a  thing  that  occupies  our 
energy,  our  mental  activity,  in  so  large  a  degree 
that  we  ought  not  to  count  it  an  insignificant 
thing.  A  thing  that  occupies  one-third  or  one- 
half  of  our  life  is  something  that  should  be  im- 
portant to  us  as  individuals  —  it  is  something 
that  we  cannot  lay  lightly  aside,  it  is  something  to 
be  looked  closely  into.  Now  the  question  that 
would  arise  in  the  mind  of  any  individual  who 
thinks  on  the  subject  is,  how  to  get  the  greatest 
benefit,  the  greatest  amount  of  happiness,  the 
greatest  amount  of  that  which  adds  to  real  life  — 
to  permanent  growth  —  out  of  work.  You  can 
plainly  see,  if  you  are  engaged  in  something  that 
occupies  such  a  proportion  of  your  life,  and  you 
are  not  getting  real  growth,  it  is  a  serious  mat- 
ter. You  spend  a  very  large  proportion  of  your 


Tuskegee  89 

time  in  sleep.  Perhaps  about  one-third  of  your 
time  is  spent  in  this  way,  and  you  spend  one- 
half  of  the  remainder  of  your  life  in  work,  and 
if  you  are  not  getting  real  strength  —  when  I 
speak  of  strength  I  do  not  mean  only  mental 
and  physical ;  I  mean  strength  of  the  soul  as 
well,  for  it  is  the  real  object  of  all  labor  —  you 
should  find  out  the  reason. 

"  If  you  are  not  gaining  strength  you  are  get- 
ting weaker,  and  the  question  I  want  to  ask  is, 
Are  you  getting  real  happiness  —  are  you  getting 
growth  out  of  your  work  ?  Whether  it  is  purely 
mental,  or  partly  mental  and  partly  physical,  or 
whether  it  is  both  mental  and  physical,  are  you 
getting  growth,  are  you  getting  strength  out  of 
your  work  —  are  you  getting  strength  of  soul  ? 
If  you  are  not  getting  happiness  out  of  your 
present  work,  there  is  something  wrong,  and  you 
want  to  stop  and  examine  yourself,  and  see  if 
you  cannot  so  shape  your  life  that  you  can  get 
i  eal  happiness  out  of  every  day  you  put  in  work, 
whether  you  are  a  student  or  whether  you  are 
engaged  in  any  other  form  of  labor. 

"  In  the  first  place,  there  are  two  kinds  of 
workers.  There  is  the  one  class  that  is  con- 
stantly seeking  how  little  it  can  do,  day  by  day. 
The  first  thing  this  individual  thinks  of  before 
he  gets  out  of  bed  in  the  morning  is  :  How  many 
things  can  I  shirk  to-day  ?  What  is  the  least 
number  of  hours  that  I  can  possibly  seem  to  be 
engaged  to-day  and  still  get  my  pay  ?  How  can 
I  leave  off  this  thing  and  still  get  my  pay  ? 


90  T  u  s  k  e  ge  e 

Now  that  is  one  class.  The  other  class  is  the 
one  that  is  constantly  asking  :  How  much  time 
can  I  put  in  this  day?  How  much  of  real 
work,  of  real  effort,  can  I  put  in  to-day?  I 
shall  take  it  for  granted  that  all  of  you  belong  to 
the  latter  class,  because  it  is  the  individual  who 
belongs  to  the  first  class  who  is  constantly  dis- 
satisfied—  who  is  constantly  without  a  position. 
It  is  impossible  for  an  individual  who  is  con- 
stantly studying  to  find  out  the  least  amount 
of  work  that  he  can  do,  to  get  any  happiness  out 
of  any  kind  of  labor.  The  happiest  people  I  ever 
saw  are  the  people  who  find  that  the  day  is  too 
short.  I  heard  a  man  say  the  other  day  that  he 
was  going  to  see  if  the  jewelers  could  not  con- 
struct a  clock  that  registered  thirty  hours  instead 
of  twenty-four  hours.  He  could  not  find  time 
enough  in  one  day  to  do  all  the  good  things 
he  wanted  to  do.  He  belongs  to  the  latter 
class  to  which  I  referred.  Now  you  want  to 
consider,  in  order  to  get  happiness  out  of  your 
work,  that  whatever  has  fallen  to  your  lot  to  do 
is  just  as  important  as  the  work  being  done  by 
anybody  else.  No  matter  whether  it  is  seen 
by  the  outside  world  or  not  —  whether  anyone 
knows  of  it  except  yourself  or  not  —  whether 
it  is  scrubbing  or  plowing  or  making  an  axe- 
handle —  you  want  to  consider  that  work  just  as 
honorable,  just  as  ennobling  as  any'  work  that 
can  be  done  ;  do  not  consider  that  work  any  less 
important.  I  believe  that  the  work  the  latter 
individual  is  doing  is  just  as  important  as  the 


Tuskegee  91 

work  of  any  other  individual.  The  work  that 
every  one  of  you  is  doing  is  important,  and  you 
want  to  consider  it  important,  and  you  cannot 
get  satisfaction  out  of  your  work  unless  you 
decide  that  it  is  important.  The  world  will 
not  be  as  complete  to-morrow  as  it  would  be 
without  the  work  being  done  for  which  you 
are  responsible.  You  cannot  get  real  happiness 
out  of  work  unless  you  put  intelligence  and 
thought  into  it.  See  if  you  cannot  improve 
to-morrow  on  the  work  that  you  did  yesterday, 
and  improve  on  it  the  day  after  to-morrow. 
Put  earnestness  into  it ;  be  sure  to  see  that  it 
is  done  as  well  or  better  than  anyone  else  can 
do  it ;  do  it  so  well  that  no  one  can  improve 
upon  it ;  forget  yourself  in  it.  That  is  one  of 
the  ways  to  get  the  greatest  happiness  out  of 
your  work.  Get  so  baptized  in  your  work,  so 
immersed  in  it,  that  you  will  forget  yourself. 
Those  are  the  people  who  get  real  satisfaction 
out  of  their  work.  Then,  put  your  conscience 
into  it.  Do  it  just  as  well  at  midnight,  if  your 
work  falls  at  twelve  o'clock  in  the  night,  as  you 
would  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  —  do  it 
just  as  well  as  if  it  came  twelve  o'clock  in  the 
day,  whether  you  are  doing  it  in  the  sight  of 
one  hundred  persons  or  doing  it  in  a  corner. 

"Now,  again,  to  get  happiness  out  of  your 
work  you  must  prepare  for  it.  You  must  begin 
to-night  to  think  about  the  work  that  you  are 
going  to  do  to-morrow.  The  more  perfect  you 
do  your  work  to-morrow  the  more  perfect  the 


92  Tuskegee 

world  will  be.  Plan  for  your  work  to-morrow  ; 
see  how  far  you  can  put  your  mind  into  it.  You 
will  find,  if  you  will  go  on  working  in  the 
way  that  I  have  tried  to  advise  you  to-night, 
that  the  most  of  the  troubles  that  now  confront 
you  will  disappear.  How  am  I  going  to  find  a 
position,  or  keep  that  position,  will  cease  to  be  a 
question  with  you.  If  you  will  follow  the  advice 
that  I  have  given  you  there  will  be  no  trouble 
about  you  getting  or  keeping  a  position,  because 
you  will  put  yourself  in  demand  —  the  world 
cannot  do  without  you ;  so  valuable  will  be  your 
occupation  that  the  world  will  feel  that  it  cannot 
get  along  without  your  services.  Such  a  person 
need  not  be  bothered  about  his  position. 

"  Now  if  you  are  not  getting  happiness  out  of 
your  work  it  is  your  own  fault ;  it  is  because  you 
are  not  putting  inspiration  into  it — because 
you  are  not  putting  your  conscience  into  it. 

"  The  point  I  want  to  leave  with  you  is,  that 
you  will  not  only  get  physical  strength  out  of 
your  work,  but  mental  strength  as  well ;  because 
the  people  who  are  the  strongest  physically  and 
mentally  are  the  people  who  get  the  most  happi- 
ness out  of  their  work.  Above  all,  you  will  get 
soul's  growth  out  of  work  if  you  will  only  put 
happiness  into  it,  and  you  will  only  get  happiness 
out  of  it  by  following  the  plan  that  I  have  tried 
to  lay  down  to  you  to-night." 


CHAPTER  X. 

ABOUT  one-third  of  the  students  at  Tuskegee 
are  young  women.  In  the  academic  department 
they  attend  classes  with  the  young  men.  In  the 
industrial  department  type-setting,  tailoring,  car- 
ing for  the  sick,  market  gardening,  poultry  rais- 
ing, bee-keeping,  horticulture,  and  floriculture  are 
taught  to  both  men  and  women.  Among  the 
industries  taught  only  to  the  young  women  are 
mattress  making,  plain  sewing,  dressmaking  and 
millinery,  cooking,  laundry  work,  and  general 
housekeeping. 

Caring  for  the  sick  is  work  for  which  the 
students  have  shown  a  marked  preference  and 
in  which  they  have  been  very  successful.  In 
one  year,  when  I  was  at  Tuskegee,  there  had 
been  sixty  applications  to  enter  this  class,  and 
only  sixteen  pupils  could  be  accommodated,  the 
Institute's  hospitals  being  smaller  and  less  con- 
venient than  the  buildings  in  almost  any  other 
department.  The  full  course  of  study  requires 
three  years,  and  is  very  thorough.  During 
their  senior  year  in  the  nurse-training  depart- 
ment the  students  are  frequently  employed  by 
the  physicians  at  Tuskegee  to  take  charge  of 
cases  for  them,  obtaining  much  valuable  experi- 
ence in  this  way.  This  department  has  at  no 
time  been  able  to  supply  all  the  demands  made 
upon  it,  especially  during  the  months  of  the 


94  Tuskegee 

Cuban  war.  One  graduate  is  now  in  charge  of 
the  surgical  ward  of  a  hospital  in  Montgomery, 
another  is  head  nurse  in  a  hospital  in  Mississippi, 
and  a  third  is  employed  as  nurse  in  the  white 
young  ladies'  seminary  in  Tuskegee,  one  of  the 
most  successful  institutions  of  learning  in  Ala- 
bama. While  I  was  at  Tuskegee  a  request  was 
received  for  a  nurse  to  accompany  a  young 
white  woman  on  a  two  years'  voyage  around  the 
world. 

Very  many  of  the  girls,  when  admitted  to  the 
sewing  classes,  are  absolutely  ignorant  of  the 
simplest  principles  of  needle  work.  The  first 
year's  work  consists  of  the  most  common  kinds 
of  stitches,  patching,  darning,  and  general  mend- 
ing. A  large  number  of  girls  work  in  the  vari- 
ous divisions  of  the  seamstress  classes.  They 
not  only  make  the  girls'  uniforms,  and  all  the 
sheets,  pillow  cases,  table  cloths,  napkins,  towels 
and  such  articles  as  the  school  needs,  but  they 
also  mend  the  boys'  clothes,  no  small  task.  The 
housewife  of  an  ordinary  home  is  often .  said  to 
sit  dismayed  before  the  mending  for  the  family. 
Think  of  being  responsible  for  the  mending  of 
the  clothes  of  several  hundred  stout  and  vigor- 
ous young  men ! 

The  course  in  plain  sewing  requires  two  years. 
In  the  second  year  of  the  course  the  students 
make  simple  garments,  such  as  skirts,  under- 
clothing, overalls,  and  colored  shirts.  Students 
who  complete  this  course  satisfactorily,  or  pass 
an  examination  in  plain  sewing  and  the  ability  to 


Tuskegee  95 

make  simple  garments,  are  admitted  to  the  dress- 
making classes.  The  course  in  dressmaking  is 
carefully  graded,  and  requires  three  years  to 
complete.  It  is  as  follows  :  — 

v  First  Year. 

First  Term  :  —  Choice  of  materials.  Drafting 
and  cutting  foundation  and  outline  skirts  from 
measurement. 

Second  Term  :  —  Making,  hanging,  draping, 
and  trimming  the  skirt.  Talks  on  forms  ;  line 
and  proportion  in  relation  to  draping  and  trim- 
ming. 

Third  Term  :  —  Drafting,  cutting,  and  fitting 
plain  basques,  and  the  general  finish  of  these  gar- 
ments. 

Second   Year. 

First  Term  :  —  Drafting  basques,  sleeves,  and 
the  different  accessories  to  the  basque  from 
measurement.  Drafting  basques  with  extra 
seams  for  stout  figures. 

Second  Term  :  —  Cutting  and  fitting  close 
and  double-breasted  garments.  Cutting  and 
matching  striped,  plaid,  and  figured  basques  and 
skirts.  Talks  on  forms,  including  artistic  and 
hygienic  principles  of  dress.  Talks  on  the  sub- 
ject of  color  and  textiles  as  applied  to  dress. 

Third  Term  :  —  Advanced  work  in  making 
complete  dresses  from  different  materials. 

Third  Year. 
First  Term  :  —  Cutting,  fitting,  and  pressing. 


96  Tuskegee 

Practice  in  the  use  of  colors.  Talks  on  the 
manufacture  of  cloth. 

Second  Term  :  —  Drafting  jackets  of  various 
styles ;  making  various  styles  of  collars  and 
pockets  ;  lining  and  finishing  pockets. 

Third  Term  :  —  Draping  garments  of  every 
kind.  Making  and  finishing  garments  of  every 
kind  from  different  materials. 

In  these  departments,  as  in  those  in  which  the 
young  men  work,  the  students  are  paid  accord- 
ing to  the  value  of  their  work.  The  uniforms 
for  the  young  women,  made  by  the  dress-making 
class,  consist  of  a  plainly  cut,  dark  navy  blue 
dress,  trimmed  with  three  rows  of  red  braid  about 
the  skirt,  and  a  red  belt.  Ties,  ribbons,  or  other 
adornments  about  the  throat  must  harmonize 
in  color  with  the  braiding  on  the  dress.  A 
black  sailor  straw  hat  with  a  white  band  com- 
pletes the  uniform. 

All  of  the  girls  except  those  in  the  two  lowest 
classes  have  at  least  two  lessons  each  week  in 
cooking.  These  lessons  are  practical  work,  the 
numbers  allotted  to  each  division  being  small 
enough  so  that  each  member  of  the  class  gets 
individual  instruction.  Special  courses  are 
arranged  to  teach  the  preparation  of  food  for  the 
sick.  Particular  attention  is  given  to  the  cor- 
rect arrangement  of  the  table  for  different  meals, 
to  the  proper  methods  of  serving  food  and  wait- 
ing on  the  table,  and  to  table  manners  in 
general. 

Not  long  ago  I  heard  Mr.  Washington  say  in 


Tuskegee  97 


public  :  "  How  often  has  my  heart  been  made 
to  sink  as  I  have  gone  through  the  South  and 
into  the  homes  of  the  people,  and  have  found 
women  who  could  converse  intelligently  on 
Grecian  history,  who  had  studied  geometry, 
who  could  analyze  the  most  complex  sentences, 
and  yet  could  not  analyze  the  poorly  cooked  and 
still  more  poorly  served  corn  bread  and  fat  meat 
which  they  and  their  families  were  eating  three 
times  a  day.  It  is  little  trouble  to  find  girls  who 
can  locate  Pekin  or  the  Desert  of  Sahara  on  an 
artificial  globe,  but  seldom  can  you  find  one  who 
can  locate  on  an  actual  dinner  table  the  proper 
place  for  the  carving  knife  and  fork  or  the  meat 
and  vegetables."  The  course  of  study  in  cook- 
ing as  taught  at  Tuskegee  aims  to  meet  the 
needs  of  such  conditions  as  these. 

Fifty  young  women  work  in  the  laundry. 
Three  hundred  thousand  pieces  are  washed  and 
ironed  in  this  department  each  year.  The  build- 
ing has  excellent  modern  machinery,  much  of 
which  it  may  be  interesting  to  know  was  bought 
with  money  contributed  for  that  purpose  by 
young  women  who  have  graduated  from  the 
school.  As  it  is  realized,  however,  that  few  of 
the  young  women  will  have  the  assistance  of 
machinery  in  their  laundry  work  after  they  have 
left  the  school,  the  girls  are  trained  in  all  the 
methods  of  hand  work.  The  work  which  the 
laundry  does  is  proving  to  be  among  the  most 
practical  and  helpful  of  that  done  in  any  of  the 
departments.  There  are  many  cases  similar  to 


98  Tuskegee 

that  of  a  young  woman  who  found  herself  at  the 
close  of  the  school  year  obliged  to  borrow  money 
with  which  to  get  home  for  the  vacation.  She 
had  had  one  year's  instruction  in  the  laundry. 
When  she  reached  the  village  where  her  home 
was  she  found  that  she  could  have  all  the  regular 
work  at  washing  and  ironing  that  she  wished  to 
do.  Before  the  summer  vacation  was  over  she 
had  paid  back  the  money  she  had  borrowed,  and 
saved  quite  a  sum  towards  her  expenses  during 
her  next  year  at  the  school.  Another  young 
woman,  who  when  she  came  to  the  school  and 
was  assigned  to  work  in  the  laundry  was  so 
ignorant  that  she  did  not  even  know  how  to  fold 
a  pocket  handkerchief  properly,  came  to  the 
teacher  when  she  returned  to  the  school  after 
her  first  vacation  and  said,  "  Oh,  Miss  Mabry, 
when  I  was  put  to  work  in  the  laundry  I  didn't 
like  it  a  bit,  at  first,  but  I  am  so  glad  now  that 
I  stayed  there.  When  I  reached  home  this 
summer  I  found  that  I  could  have  all  the  work 
that  I  could  do,  at  good  pay ;  and  in  this  one 
vacation  I  have  earned  more  money  than  I  ever 
did  before  in  my  whole  life." 

It  is  intended  that  every  girl  who  comes  to 
the  school,  whatever  her  regular  work  may  be, 
shall  have  as  much  training  in  general  house- 
work as  is  possible.  One  needs  only  to  observe 
the  majority  of  Negro  country  homes  as  they 
may  be  seen  from  the  car  windows  of  a  train 
passing  through  almost  any  part  of  the  South 
to  realize  the  wisdom  of  this.  All  of  the  young 


luskegee  99 

women  at  the  school  are  divided  into  three 
classes,  and  each  class  does  practical  housework 
for  three  months  in  caring  for  the  buildings  of 
the  school.  I  quote  a  paragraph  from  the  course 
of  study,  which  speaks  for  itself  :  — 

"  Spring  house  cleaning  ;  when  to  do  it.  How 
to  do  general  weekly  cleaning  ;  care  and  clean- 
ing of  lamps.  Bed  room  ;  where  it  should  be 
located  ;  how  to  ventilate,  light,  and  heat ;  when 
and  how  to  clean  ;  decorations  suitable  to  be 
used.  Beds  ;  when  and  how  to  clean  ;  when 
and  how  to  air  them  ;  why  aired  ;  when  and  how 
to  change  bedding  ;  how  to  keep  it  through  sum- 
mer season.  Sweeping  and  dusting;  how  to 
sweep  and  dust  properly  ;  how  to  build  a  coal 
fire  ;  when  and  how  to  burn  out  chimneys  ;  use 
of  dust  brush  and  pan,  and  trash  box.  Scrub- 
bing ;  how  to  use  the  brush ;  advantages  of 
brush  ;  how  to  remove  paint ;  how  to  polish 
window  panes." 

The  provisions  for  teaching  scrubbing  recall 
Mr.  Washington's  address  before  the  White 
Rose  Mission,  in  New  York,  where  he  said  :  "  I 
have  often  thought,  especially  when  traveling 
from  city  to  city  in  the  North,  what  a  good  thing 
it  would  be  to  establish  a  chair  in  some  strong 
university  for  the  science  of  scrubbing  —  yes, 
the  common,  homely  art  of  scrubbing.  Seldom 
do  we  see  clean  floors  ;  the  art  seems  to  have 
passed  away." 

The  training  of  young  women  in  poultry  rais- 
ing, market  gardening,  bee-keeping,  horticulture, 


ioo  Tuskegee 

and  similar  arts  is  in  a  measure  a  result  of  a 
visit  which  Mr.  Washington  made  to  the  famous 
Woman's  Agricultural  College  at  Swanley, 
England,  when  he  was  abroad,  although  he  had 
for  some  time  previous  to  that  desired  to  broaden 
the  Institute's  course  of  instruction  in  outdoor 
work  for  women.  He  has  said  in  regard  to  this  : 
"  In  our  Southern  climate  there  is  no  reason  why 
women  cannot  be  trained  to  do  successfully  many 
things  which  come  under  the  head  of  agriculture, 
just  as  is  true  in  many  parts  of  Europe. 
These  courses  are  designed  to  fit  the  girls  for 
earning  a  pleasant  and  profitable  living,  and 
making  the  home  tie  more  sacred  by  the  appli- 
cation of  the  knowledge  obtained.  The  courses 
of  study  are  given  in  connection  with  academic 
training,  and  when  satisfactorily  completed  cer- 
tificates will  be  issued  in  connection  with  the 
academic  diplomas."  These  courses  of  study 
are  so  interesting  and  so  practical  that  I  quote 
the  first  year's  work  in  several  of  the  classes  :  — 
Dairying.  —  Fall  term.  The  home  dairy  is 
taken  up  and  a  clear  knowledge  obtained  of  the 
kind,  use,  and  care  of  dairy  utensils,  and  of  gravity 
creaming.  A  study  of  stone,  wooden,  and  tin 
churns,  ripening  of  cream,  churning,  working  and 
salting  the  butter,  preparing  it  for  the  market 
and  marketing  it.  The  feeding  and  care  of  dairy 
cows.  —  Winter  term.  The  distinctive  features 
of  the  commercial  dairy  are  taken  up.  Separa- 
tors, of  which  the  school  has  two  varieties ; 
churns,  of  which  there  are  several  patterns. 


Tuskegee  101 

Feeding  and  care  of  the  dairy  herd.  Breeds  of 
dairy  cattle  and  their  selection.  Butter  making 
in  larger  quantities ;  salting,  packing,  and  pre- 
paring for  the  market.  —  Spring  term.  Milking. 
A  study  of  pastures.  How  to  destroy  lice  and 
other  parasites.  The  care  of  calves.  The  utiliza- 
tion of  waste  products  of  the  dairy.  Library 
work. 

Poultry  Raising.  —  Fall  term.  The  economic 
value  of  poultry  on  the  farm.  Pure  and  mixed 
breeds.  Plain  poultry-house  construction.  The 
making  of  nests,  yards,  and  runs.  —  Winter 
term.  Special  study  of  breeding  and  feeding. 
What  kinds  of  eggs  to  set,  and  when  and  how 
to  set  them.  The  best  breed  of  fowls  to  set. 
Management  of  the  incubator.  Period  of  incu- 
bation. An  introductory  study  of  young  chick- 
ens. General  poultry  keeping  and  the  saving  of 
eggs  for  market.  —  Spring  term.  A  more  ad- 
vanced study  of  young  poultry.  Brooders, 
Sanitation  of  the  poultry  house.  Egg  testing. 
Moulting  and  its  effects  upon  different  breeds. 

Horticulture. —  Fall  term.  The  importance 
of  an  orchard  and  of  small  fruits.  Varieties  best 
suited  to  the  localities  in  which  particular  stu-- 
dents  live.  Selection  and  preparation  of 
ground.  Setting  out  and  trimming.  Extermi- 
nation of  borers,  lice,  scale,  etc.  Kinds  and  pro- 
portionate number  of  peach,  pear,  apple,  plum, 
and  fig  trees,  and  of  grape  vines  and  strawberry 
plants  which  should  be  planted  in  home  orchards. 
—  Spring  term.  Spring  planting.  Trimming, 


102  Tuskegee 


budding,  grafting,  spraying.  Care  of  grape  vines. 
The  vine  and  post  system  of  supporters.  Spring 
layering  and  cutting. 

Floriculture  and  Landscape  Gardening. —  Fall 
term.  A  study  of  common  door  yards,  laying 
out  and  beautifying  the  same.  The  kind,  care 
and  use  of  tools  used  in  floriculture  and  land- 
scape gardening.  Trimming  and  shaping  of 
beds  and  borders,  and  the  general  care  of  shrub- 
bery and  flowers.  The  gathering  and  saving  of 
seeds.  Special  treatment  of  rose  bushes  and 
shrubbery. —  Winter  term.  Trimming  of  beds 
and  borders.  Mulching,  tying,  wrapping,  and 
preparation  of  plants  for  the  winter.  Winter 
decoration  of  grounds.  The  decorative  value  of 
native  shrubbery.  A  study  of  window  plants, 
their  value  in  the  home,  in  halls,  and  in  public 
buildings.  Their  economic  value.  —  Spring 
term.  Renewing  of  beds  and  borders.  Sow- 
ing of  seeds.  Propagation  by  layers,  cuttings, 
and  divisions  of  roots,  bulbs,  corms,  etc.  Kinds 
of  fertilizers  for  this  special  season  and  how  to 
use  them. 

Market  Gardening. —  Fall  term.  The  value 
of  the  home  garden.  Selection  and  preparation 
of  the  ground.  Kinds  of  tools,  their  use  and 
care.  Planting,  gathering,  and  marketing  of  fall 
vegetables.  Gathering  of  seeds.  Drying  pump- 
kins, cushaws,  okra,  and  fruits. — Winter  term. 
The  selection  of  suitable  sites  for  hot  beds ; 
making  of  beds,  cold  frames  ;  planting  and  car- 
ing for  the  same.  The  raising  and  marketing  of 


Tuskegee  103 

winter  vegetables.  —  Spring  term.  Preparation 
of  the  ground  at  this  season.  What  seeds  to 
plant  and  how  to  plant  them.  Particular  atten- 
tion given  to  the  production  of  early  vegetables 
both  for  the  home  and  for  market.  Reproduc- 
tion of  plants  by  seed  and  by  division  of  mem- 
bers. 

These  studies  mean  practical  work.  In  the 
dairy  the  girls  make  butter.  In  the  poultry 
raising  department  the  girls  do  all  of  the  work, 
even  to  whitewashing  the  hen  house  and  fences. 
They  feed  the  fowls,  tend  the  incubator,  and 
feed  and  care  for  the  chickens  and  ducks.  The 
school  has  about  fifty  swarms  of  bees.  The  girls 
take  care  of  these.  In  the  market -gardening 
class  they  have  proved  especially  expert  in 
transplanting  seedlings,  and  in  gathering  and 
sorting  seeds.  They  learn  to  handle  a  hoe 
lightly  and  skillfully,  to  prune  trees  and  shrubs, 
and  to  care  for  the  flower  beds.  Along  with 
this  practical  work  they  have  class-room  instruc- 
tion, with  a  special  view  to  bringing  them  to 
understand  the  economic  details  of  the  work. 
They  are  taught  to  distinguish  between  breeds 
of  fowls  and  varieties  of  plants  which  can  be 
raised  with  the  most  profit  under  certain  condi- 
tions and  in  certain  places.  They  have  their 
account  books,  and  keep  track  of  what  profit  or 
loss  there  is  in  raising  different  breeds  of  fowls 
and  different  varieties  of  vegetables. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

FROM  the  time  when  industrial  education  was 
first  established  at  Tuskegee,  agriculture  has 
been  looked  upon  as  one  of  the  most  important 
industries  to  be  taught  there.  Probably  eighty- 
five  per  cent  of  the  several  millions  of  Negro 
men  and  women  living  in  the  South  must  of 
necessity  continue  to  live  on  the  plantations  and 
obtain  a  living  from  the  cultivation  of  the  soil. 
Mr.  Washington,  I  know,  believes  it  best  that 
they  should  do  so.  I  have  frequently  heard 
him  say  to  audiences  of  his  race  :  "  Stay  on  the 
plantations.  There  is  room  there  and  a  chance 
to  work.  Too  often  the  young  men  and  women 
who  leave  the  farms  to  crowd  into  the  cities  find 
it  very  difficult  to  get  work  there.  The  idleness 
which  results  is  almost  sure  to  cause  poverty 
and  disease,  if  not  immorality  and  crime." 

The  conditions  under  which  a  majority  of  the 
Negro  farmers  and  a  large  part  of  the  white 
farmers  in  the  South  labor  are  often  pitiable. 
In  many  cases  the  farmer  owns  no  land,  and  as 
a  result  must  rent  a  "patch  "  on  such  terms  as 
he  can  make  with  the  landlord,  to  whom  he  con- 
tracts to  deliver  a  certain  portion  of  the  crop  for 
rent.  He  has  little  or  no  money  with  which  to 
purchase  supplies  in  advance,  and  so,  before  his 
crop  is  even  planted,  he  has  to  mortgage  the  bal- 
ance of  it  to  some  merchant  in  town  for  food  for 


Tuskegee  105 

himself  and  family  to  live  on  through  the  spring 
and  summer.  As  cotton  is  the  readiest  cash 
crop  in  the  country,  neither  landlord  nor  mer- 
chant wishes  to  make  an  advance  on  any  other 
crop.  As  a  result,  the  farmer  too  often  is 
forced  to  plant  only  cotton  —  buying  even  his 
corn  meal  and  bacon  of  the  storekeeper,  and  of 
necessity  obliged  to  pay  almost  any  price  which 
the  dealer  may  demand.  The  farmer  knows  noth- 
ing of  the  best  methods  of  farming.  Often  he 
works  hard,  and  makes  his  family  work  hard,  too, 
but  he  does  not  understand  how  to  make  the  work 
count.  Instead  of  concentrating  his  time  and 
strength  upon  a  small  area,  on  which  he  could 
raise  a  paying  crop,  he  struggles  to  half -till 
twenty,  thirty,  or  even  forty  acres  with  one 
mule,  and  fails  to  raise  a  profitable  crop  on  any 
part  of  the  ground.  Even  if  the  rent  account 
and  the  store  bills  are  kept  with  absolute  fairness 
—  and  sometimes  it  is  possible  they  are  not  — 
the  farmer  frequently  cannot  figure  them  ;  when 
they  get  tangled  he  is  helpless.  The  result  in 
too  many  cases  is  that  when  fall  comes  and  the 
crop  is  harvested  the  farmer  finds  that  it  is 
already  eaten  up,  and  even  if  he  and  his  family 
are  not  "closed  out"-  — that  is,  turned  out  of 
their  miserable  cabin,  and  their  few  belongings 
sold  for  debt  —  they  have  nothing  left  to  live 
on  through  the  winter,  and  must  exist  as  best 
they  can  until  the  coming  of  another  spring 
makes  it  possible  to  mortgage  another  implanted 
crop. 


106  Tuskegee 

In  many  cases  it  is  the  sons  of  such  men  as 
these  who  come  to  Tuskegee.  What  are  some 
of  the  things  which  the  school  aims  to  teach 
them  ?  To  get  to  own  land,  even  if  it  be  ever 
so  little,  on  which  a  man  can  raise  such  crops  as 
he  chooses,  and  from  which  he  need  not  move 
from  year  to  year.  To  cultivate  a  little  land 
well,  instead  of  much  poorly.  To  raise  every 
article  of  food  possible,  and  to  go  without  all 
those  not  absolutely  essential  which  he  cannot 
raise,  until  he  has  the  money  to  pay  for  them. 
To  learn  to  utilize  the  natural  resources  of  the 
country  —  fruits,  nuts,  and  forage  —  now  almost 
wholly  neglected,  and  to  improve  the  dairy, 
poultry  yard  and  hog  pen.  To  acquire  sufficient 
education  so  that  he  may  be  able  to  plan  out 
what  he  wants  to  do,  to  keep  account  of  what  he 
is  doing,  and  to  understand  if  he  has  done  what 
he  ought. 

The  school  owns  in  round  numbers  twenty- 
five  hundred  acres  of  tillage  land,  pasture,  and 
wood  land.  About  six  hundred  acres  of  this  are 
cultivated  by  student  labor.  A  large  number  of 
students  are  employed  upon  the  land  regularly, 
while  others  work  there  a  part  of  the  time. 
The  greater  part  of  these  work  there  because 
they  expect  to  be  farmers  later  in  life,  but  it 
frequently  happens  that  students  assigned  to  the 
farm  at  first,  because  there  is  no  other  work 
available  at  the  time,  and  who  then  have  no 
intention  or  wish  to  become  farmers,  are  so 
attracted  to  the  work  as  it  is  carried  on  at  Tus- 


Tuskegee  107 

kegee  that  they  decide  to  remain  in  the  agricul- 
tural department,  and  to  make  farming  their  life 
work. 

In  1897  an  excellent  building  was  erected  to 
accommodate  the  agricultural  department,  largely 
through  the  assistance  of  Mr.  Morris  K.  Jessup, 
and  an  increased  allowance  from  the  Slater  Fund 
enabled  the  work  to  be  broadened.  This  build- 
ing is  named  the  Slater-Armstrong  Memorial 
Agricultural  Building.  At  its  dedication  there 
were  present  Hon.  James  Wilson,  the  Secretary 
of  Agriculture,  Hon.  Joseph  F.  Johnston,  the 
Governor  of  Alabama,  and  Dr.  J.  L.  M.  Curry, 
of  the  Slater  Board  of  Trustees.  The  director 
of  the  agricultural  department  is  Prof.  George 
W.  Carver,  a  graduate  of  the  Iowa  State  Agri- 
cultural College. 

The  laboratory  work  which  the  department 
does  is  simple,  and  easily  understood  by  the  stu- 
dents. It  consists  largely  in  an  analysis  of  the 
different  soils,  for  the  purpose  of  learning  what 
elements  need  to  be  supplied  in  order  to  make 
them  more  productive  and  better  fitted  for  the 
crops  which  the  farmers  of  the  South  wish  to 
raise.  Fertilizers  and  feeds  are  tested  in  the 
same  way,  to  determine  which  of  them  can  be 
used  to  the  best  advantage.  The  average  yield 
of  sweet  potatoes  from  an  acre  in  that  locality  is 
less  than  fifty  bushels.  Experiments  made  by 
Professor  Carver  have  shown  that  two  hundred 
and  sixty-six  bushels  of  these  vegetables  can  be 
raised  from  an  acre,  proper  fertilizers  being  used. 


io8  Tuskegee 

The  same  acre  of  land  the  next  year,  with  no 
fertilizer,  produced  a  bale  of  cotton,  whereas  a 
third  to  a  half  a  bale  to  the  acre,  as  cotton  is 
raised  in  that  part  of  the  country,  is  often 
reckoned  a  fair  yield.  One  of  the  most  promis- 
ing experiments  has  been  that  of  feeding  acorns 
to  stock.  The  school  now  buys  a  thousand 
bushels  of  acorns  each  year  to  feed  out.  The 
orchard  and  market  garden  are  maintained  for 
practical  results.  Budding,  grafting,  trimming, 
and  the  care  of  trees  and  plants  are  taught  with 
a  view  to  supplying  the  school  with  fruit  and 
vegetables. 

All  of  the  scientific  knowledge  is  carried  daily 
into  the  fields  and  into  the  practical  work  of  the 
various  departments  of  the  farm.  Mr.  C.  W. 
Greene,  who  for  almost  the  entire  period  of  the 
school's  existence  has  had  charge  of  the  work  in 
practical  agriculture,  superintends  the  young 
men  in  the  actual  work  of  raising  food  supplies 
required  by  the  needs  of  the  school,  and  thus 
the  technical  instruction  which  they  get  in  the 
laboratory  and  lecture  rooms  is  worked  out  on 
the  land.  I  have  repeatedly  been  impressed  by 
the  interest  which  many  of  these  young  men 
take  in  the  different  branches  of  the  farm  work. 
It  is  no  unusual  thing  for  a  student  to  come  and 
ask  to  be  allowed  to  work  over-time  in  some 
other  department  than  that  in  which  he  is 
regularly  employed,  for  the  sake  of  the  experi- 
ence which  he  can  get.  Mr.  Greene  and  the 
men  who  are  at  the  head  of  the  various  divisions 


luskegee  109 

of  farm  work,  such  as  stock  raising,  the  care  of 
the  dairy  herd,  the  dairy,  and  horticulture,  have 
their  regular  theory  classes,  as  in  the  other 
trades,  and  one  has  only  to  attend  one  of  these 
classes  and  note  the  eager  questions  of  the 
students  and  the  attention  which  they  pay  to  the 
instructors'  explanations,  to  decide  that  they  are 
getting  benefit  from  their  studies. 

Stock  raising,  and  the  care  of  stock  of  all 
kinds,  is  a  branch  of  the  work  in  which  the 
students  have  careful  instruction.  The  school 
owns  a  herd  of  about  one  hundred  excellent 
cows,  and  all  the  details  of  dairy  work  are  care- 
fully taught.  A  visitor  to  the  school  has  only 
to  have  eaten  the  miserable  white  butter  which 
is  so  common  in  country  districts  in  the  South, 
and  then  compare  it  with  that  which  the  Insti- 
tute's dairy  makes,  to  realize  the  value  of  this 
course  of  instruction.  The  dairy  when  first 
established  was  situated  in  the  basement  of  the 
agricultural  building.  I  have  been  in  the  habit 
of  going  into  the  dairy  frequently  in  the  morning 
to  watch  the  classes  at  their  work.  The  stables 
—  to  begin  with  —  are  kept  scrupulously  neat 
and  clean.  Young  men  milk  the  cows,  weigh 
the  milk,  and  deliver  it  at  the  dairy.  Others, 
in  spotlessly  clean  white  overalls  and  jackets, 
separate  the  cream  from  the  milk,  using  one  of 
the  latest  improved  separators  for  this  purpose. 
Instruction  is  also  given  in  the  care  of  milk  and 
cream  in  small  quantities,  as  in  a  country  dairy, 
where  a  separator  would  not  be  available.  Other 


i  io  Tuskegee 


young  men  and  young  women  do  the  churning, 
wash,  salt,  and  pack  the  butter.  Then  they 
wash,  scour,  and  dry  the  utensils,  and  clean  the 
dairy.  On  any  sunny  day  —  and  most  of  the 
days  in  Alabama  are  sunny  —  there  may  be 
seen  put  out  in  the  open  air  on  a  platform  back 
of  the  agricultural  building  an  array  of  shining 
dairy  ware  which  it  would  do  a  housewife's  heart 
good  to  look  at. 

A  story  which  Mr.  Washington  is  fond  of 
using  as  an  illustration  in  his  talks  has  to.  do  with 
this  dairy : 

"  It  came  to  our  knowledge,"  Mr.  Washington 
says,  "  that  the  owners  of  a  certain  creamery 
wanted  to  hire  a  superintendent.  We  had  re- 
cently graduated  a  man  who  was  perfectly  capable 
of  filling  the  place  in  every  way,  but  he  was  just 
about  as  black  as  it  is  possible  for  a  man  to  be. 
However,  we  sent  him  on  to  apply  for  the  position. 

"  When  he  made  his  appearance  before  the 
owners  of  the  creamery,  they  said,  '  A  colored 
man  ?  Oh,  that  would  never  do,  you  know.' 

"  The  applicant  for  the  position  said,  very 
politely,  that  he  had  not  come  to  talk  about  his 
color,  but  about  making  butter.  His  hearers 
said  it  was  out  of  the  question  to  think  of  hiring 
a  colored  man  for  the  place. 

"  Our  graduate  still  declined  to  talk  about  any 
color  except  butter  color,  and  similar  details  of 
dairy  work.  Finally  something  which  he  said 
attracted  the  attention  of  the  owners  of  the 
creamery,  and  they  said  he  might  stay  for  a  two 


Tuskegee  111 

weeks'  trial,  although  they  still  assured  him  that 
there  was  no  possibility  of  a  colored  man  being 
hired. 

"  Well,  the  first   week's  make   of  butter  was 
shipped,  and  when  the   returns  came  back  — 
would  you  believe  it  ?  —  that  butter  had  sold  for 
two  cents  a  pound  more  than  any  product  of 
that  creamery  had  ever  before  sold  for. 

"  The  owners  said  to  each  other  :  '  Now  this 
is  very  singular  ; '  and  waited  for  the  next  week's 
returns.  When  that  week's  product  was  heard 
from  it  was  found  that  the  butter  had  sold  for  a 
cent  a  pound  more  than  that  for  the  week  before 
—  three  cents  more  than  the  creamery's  best 
record  before  our  man  had  taken  hold  of  it  ! 

"  This  time  the  owners  of  the  establishment 
did  not  stop  to  say  anything.  They  just  put 
that  extra  and  unexpected  dividend  into  their 
pockets  and  hired  that  colored  man  to  run  the 
creamery  for  a  term  of  years.  Three  cents  a 
pound  extra  on  the  price  of  the  butter  which  he 
could  make  had  knocked  every  particle  of  black 
out  of  his  skin,  so  far  as  they  were  concerned." 

The  dairy  furnishes  all  the  butter,  cream, 
milk,  and  buttermilk  which  the  school  and  fami- 
lies of  the  teachers  consume.  Cheese  is  made 
at  certain  times  in  the  year,  so  that  the  members 
of  each  class  can  have  instruction  in  the  art  of 
making  it.  One  experiment  which  Professor  Car- 
ver made  with  cheese  interested  me.  It  has  been 
rather  commonly  believed  that  the  climate  of 
Alabama  is  unfavorable  to  the  keeping  of  cheese, 


112  Tuskegee 


and  that  therefore  this  branch  of  dairy  work 
cannot  be  profitably  carried  on  there.  To  see  if 
this  is  true  Professor  Carver  once,  when  making 
cheese,  set  aside  a  ten-pound  full-milk  cheese  to 
experiment  with.  No  especial  care  was  taken 
of  this  cheese,  except  that  occasionally  it  was 
turned  over  and  brushed  off.  It  was  kept  on  a 
shelf  in  one  of  the  lecture  rooms.  Several  times 
it  was  carried  out  to  farmers'  institutes  as  an 
object  lesson.  One  day  I  was  in  the  lecture 
room  and  happened  to  notice  it.  It  was  then 
two  years  and  two  months  old.  I  said  :  "  I  wonder 
what  it  would  taste  like,"  and  Professor  Carver, 
remarking  that  it  seemed  to  have  been  kept  long 
enough  to  satisfy  the  requirements  of  the  experi- 
ment, proposed  that  we  cut  it.  We  did  so,  and 
found  it  delicious.  Such  work  as  this  has  a 
very  practical  value.  The  Negroes  of  the  South 
as  yet  get  little  real  benefit  from  dairying  ;  and 
yet  in  Alabama  cows  can  be  bought  very  cheaply, 
and  can  be  pastured  out  of  doors  for  almost  the 
entire  year. 

Only  a  part  of  the  Institute's  land  adjoins  the 
school  grounds.  Marshall  Farm,  a  plantation  of 
about  eight  hundred  acres,  is  three  miles  dis- 
tant. Thirty  young  men  are  employed  on  this 
farm,  under  the  direction  of  the  farm  manager 
and  two  resident  teachers.  The  young  men 
work  upon  the  land  during  the  day  and  attend 
regular  night  school  in  the  big  old  house  which 
was  once  the  "  mansion-house  "  of  the  planta- 
tion. When  I  was  at  the  farm  in  the  fall  of 


Tuskegee  113 

1899  the  men  were  finishing  the  digging  of 
thirty  acres  of  sweet  potatoes,  and  were  piling 
the  crop  in  the  field  to  be  kept  -for  winter  con- 
sumption. They  had  also  raised  twenty  acres 
of  sugar  cane.  The  cane  had  been  harvested  from 
this  ground  and  grinding  was  to  begin  immedi- 
ately. About  fifty  barrels  of  syrup  would  be 
made  that  year  —  the  season  has  been  too  dry 
for  a  good  crop.  The  syrup  would  be  consumed 
at  the  school,  as,  in  fact,  are  all  the  products  of 
the  farm. 

All  food  crops  which  can  be  grown  profitably 
in  the  South  are  raised  by  the  school.  Many 
acres  are  devoted  to  vegetables  and  garden  prod- 
uce. Students  who  remain  in  this  department 
for  the  two  years'  course  become  familiar  with 
all  the  essential  details  of  farming  and  are  com- 
petent to  take  charge  of  almost  any  plantation. 
Those  who  remain  for  the  full  scientific  course 
of  four  years  add  to  this  the  ability  to  teach  the 
science  of  agriculture,  while  even  those  who  are 
not  able  to  complete  a  year  at  the  school  carry 
back  to  their  farm  homes  new  ideas  and  habits 
of  systematic,  intelligent  work  which  cannot  but 
be  of  great  benefit  to  them. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

I  HAVE  always  found  it  interesting  to  talk 
with  individual  students  at  Tuskegee  —  to  learn 
something  of  their  history,  how  they  happened 
to  come  to  the  Institute,  what  they  were  doing, 
and  what  their  plans  were  for  the  future.  A 
few  pages  from  one  of  my  note  books,  repeating 
the  substance  of  some  of  these  conversations, 
will  give  a  good  idea  of  the  average  Tuskegee 
student.  These  are  not  exceptional  cases  in 
any  way,  or  picked  students,  except  as  I  picked 
them  up  anywhere  and  began  to  talk  with  them. 
My  experience  has  been  that  something  of  inter- 
est could  be  written  about  almost  every  one  of 
the  students  at  the  school. 

Charles  P.  Adams,  of  West  Baton  Rouge 
Parish,  Louisiana  —  about  one  hundred  miles 
from  New  Orleans  :  "  I  heard  of  Tuskegee  from 
a  young  man  who  had  received  a  catalogue.  I 
was  twenty-one  years  old.  I  could  read  and 
write  a  little,  and  had  learned  to  do  a  few  '  sums.' 
I  lived  with  an  uncle  and  worked  with  him.  We 
had  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land 
—  one  hundred  and  ten  of  it  cleared  land,  and 
the  rest  cypress  swamp.  This  cost  us  $2800, 
and  we  were  allowed  four  years  in  which  to  pay 
for  it.  We  paid  for  it  in  the  required  time,  by 
hard  work  on  that  portion  of  it  which  we  culti- 
vated, and  by  renting  some  parts  of  the  balance. 


Tuskegee  11 


One-third  of  this  land  is  mine.  It  is  good  land, 
suitable  for  raising  cane  and  corn. 

"  We  got  the  last  payment  made  on  the  land 
just  after  I  came  of  age.  Then  I  made  up  my 
mind  that  I  wanted  to  get  a  better  education 
before  I  settled  down.  At  first  my  uncle  dis- 
couraged me.  He  said  I  owned  a  good  planta- 
tion ;  what  more  did  I  need  ?  But  when  he 
found  that  my  mind  was  set  on  it  he  agreed  that 
I  had  better  go,  and  gave  me  $70  to  start  with. 
That  is  all  the  money  I  have  had,  except  what  I 
have  earned  here.  This  is  my  fourth  year  at 
the  school.  I  have  stayed  and  worked  all  of  the 
vacations,  and  have  also  had  work  on  the  farm 
and  as  a  janitor. 

"  I  cannot  begin  to  make  anyone  understand 
my  delight  when  I  first  saw  Tuskegee  —  the 
beauty  of  it  ;  and  then  later,  when  I  began  to 
understand  and  appreciate  the  system  which 
prevails  here.  Then  it  was  that  I  came  to  real- 
ize the  needs  of  my  folks  at  home.  I  shall  stay 
five  years  in  all.  The  thing  constantly  before 
me  now  is  to  go  back,  and  in  some  way  help  the 
people  around  my  home,  and  at  the  same  time 
build  myself  up.  My  uncle  is  glad  now  that  I 
came.  I  had  a  letter  only  a  little  while  ago  from 
him,  in  which  he  urged  me  to  make  the  most 
of  my  opportunities  here,  '  because,'  he  wrote, 
'  when  you  come  back  a  great  deal  will  be  ex- 
pected of  you.' 

"  One  great  thing  which  I  have  learned  here 
is  the  value  of  '  system  '  in  farming  —  to  know 


16  T  u  s  k  e  g 


e  e 


just  what  you  want  to  raise  and  how  much  land 
to  cultivate.  Then  take  that  much  land  and 
make  the  most  of  it.  Then  I  have  learned  to 
experiment.  If  one  of  two  pieces  of  corn  in  dif- 
ferent soils  does  the  best,  try  and  find  out  why, 
and  from  this  know  what  to  do  the  next  year. 
Then  I  have  learned  economy.  Our  people  at 
my  home  have  a  good  chance  to  save.  Any 
colored  man  can  buy  land  down  there,  and  the 
land  is  of  the  very  best  quality.  They  always 
raise  more  than  they  need,  but  they  don't  take 
care  of  the  surplus.  We  can  have  a  good  school 
there  just  as  well  as  not." 

This  man's  studies  at  that  time  were  physics, 
algebra,  grammar,  ancient  history,  geometry,  and 
bookkeeping.  I  asked  him  what  advantage  some 
of  these  would  be  to  him  if  he  were  going  back 
to  the  bottom  lands  to  be  a  farmer. 

"They  give  me  general  development,"  he 
answered  promptly.  "  To  put  it  briefly  :  '  They 
help  me  to  catch  hold  of  things.' 

"  Tuskegee  has  done  a  great  deal  for  me,"  he 
concluded.  "  It  showed  me  how  little  I  knew. 
I  was  so  ignorant  when  I  first  came  here  that  I 
just  didn't  know  how  ignorant  I  was." 

Isaiah  Hardeman,  of  Clinton,  Kentucky,  five 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  Tuskegee,  had  just 
$5.10  when  he  decided  to  start  for  the  school. 
"  My  father  is  dead,"  he  told  me.  "  My  mother 
has  one  other  boy,  younger.  She  owns  a  house 
and  a  little  land,  and  could  spare  me.  She 
wanted  me  to  come. 


Tuskegee  117 

"  I  was  at  the  railroad  station  one  day,  trying 
to  think  of  the  best  way  to  start,  when  a  man 
came  along  whom  I  had  once  worked  for  in 
another  town.  He  asked  me  what  I  was  doing 
there,  and  I  told  him  I  was  trying  to  go  to  Tus- 
kegee. He  was  in  some  way  connected  with 
the  railroad.  He  was  going  about  a  hundred 
miles  on  the  line  and  took  me  with  him.  He 
left  me  at  Jackson,  Tennessee.  I  got  some  rail- 
road maps  there,  studied  out  the  way,  and  began 
to  walk.  I  had  walked  about  forty-five  miles 
when  I  came  to  a  place  in  Bethel,  Tennessee, 
where  there  had  been  a  smash-up  on  the  railroad. 
They  wanted  all  the  help  they  could  get  to  clear 
away  the  wreck.  I  took  hold  and  worked,  and 
for  what  I  did  I  got  a  ride  to  Artesia,  Missis- 
sippi. From  there  I  walked  again,  making  about 
twenty  miles  a  day,  until  I  had  gone  over  a  hun- 
dred miles.  I  had  the  bad  luck  to  strike  a 
locality  which  was  quarantined  on  account  of 
sickness,  and  had  to  walk  around  it. 

"  Then  I  got  a  job  cording  wood  for  a  railroad 
agent,  and  worked  for  him  until  he  gave  me  a 
ticket  to  Montgomery.  I  had  money  enough 
left  to  pay  my  fare  from  Montgomery  to  Che- 
haw,  from  which  place  I  walked  to  the  school. 
I  got  there  so  late  at  night  that  everyone  had 
gone  to  bed,  and  as  I  did  not  know  where  to  go 
I  slept  on  the  steps  of  the  agricultural  building." 

I  can  imagine  the  first  men  out  in  the  early 
morning  —  probably  the  milkers  going  to  the 
barn  —  finding  the  newcomer  asleep  on  the 


i8  Tuskegee 


steps,  and  saying  as  they  passed  him  :  "  Here's 
another." 

"  After  I  woke  up,"  this  young  man  continued, 
"  I  inquired  where  I  could  find  Mr.  Washington 
and  was  directed  to  the  office.  He  had  not 
come  then,  and  so  I  waited  for  him.  My  clothes 
were  not  very  good.  While  I  was  waiting  for 
Mr.  Washington  one  of  the  young  men  at  work 
in  the  office  gave  me  a  suit  of  his  own  old  clothes, 
and  two  shirts." 

It  has  always  been  a  mystery  to  me  how  the 
teachers  at  Tuskegee  manage  to  retain  a  reason- 
able amount  of  clothing.  Such  cases  as  this  are 
constantly  occurring,  to  appeal  to  their  sympathy, 
and  just  as  constantly  the  wants  of  the  needy 
ones  are  supplied  by  some  one. 

This  young  man  was  nineteen  years  old  at  the 
time  I  was  talking  with  him.  He  worked  the 
first  year  and  went  to  the  night  school.  In  the 
first  vacation  and  by  some  extra  work  he  made 
enough  money  so  that  during  his  second  year 
he  could  enter  the  day  school.  For  three 
months  he  worked  in  the  dairy,  getting  up  at  4 
A.  M.,  so  as  to  learn  that  work.  During  the  va- 
cation he  cultivated  a  "practice  garden,"  in 
order,  as  he  said,  "  to  see  if  I  had  learned  any- 
thing in  the  class  room  about  gardening."  This 
garden  proved  so  successful  that  the  department 
was  credited  with  several  dollars'  worth  of  prod- 
uce which  came  from  it.  He  expected  to  stay 
at  the  school  two  more  years.  I  asked  him  what 
he  meant  to  do  after  he  left  the  school. 


Tuskegee  119 

"  I  intend  to  be  a  farmer,"  he  said.  "  I  think 
now  of  going  to  Oklahoma.  Of  course  I've  got 
to  work  somewhere,  at  first,  to  get  the  money  to 
start  with  for  myself.  I  don't  know  just  where, 
yet ;  but  I'm  going  to  do  it  somewhere." 

The  distance  this  young  man  walked  to  get  to 
Tuskegee  was  nothing  unusual.  A  great  many 
of  the  students  walk  long  distances  to  get  there. 
December  23,  1899,  two  young  men  —  Clarence 
C.  Jeter  and  Thorney  Evans  —  arrived  at  Tuske- 
gee after  having  walked  from  their  homes  in  San- 
tuck,  South  Carolina — five  hundred  miles  distant. 

Augustus  Neely,  of  Newberry,  South  Caro- 
lina :  "I  came  to  Tuskegee  in  1895.  I  was 
nineteen  years  old  then.  My  father  was  a 
blacksmith,  and  I  came  to  the  school  with  the 
intention  of  learning  the  machinist's  trade.  I 
had  no  money,  and  for  the  first  two  years  I  had 
to  work  days  and  go  to  the  night  school.  In 
that  time  I  saved  $103.  That,  and  what  I  could 
earn  in  vacation  and  by  odd  jobs,  has  been 
enough  to  keep  me  in  school  these  two  last 
years.  In  the  winter  I  have  charge  of  the  steam- 
heating  apparatus  for  heating  the  chapel. 

"  I  expect  to  stay  here  six  years  in  all,  be- 
cause my  education  had  been  so  limited  before  I 
came  here  that  I  was  very  backward.  After  I 
get  through  here  I  want  to  work  somewhere  a 
year,  so  as  to  earn  money  enough  to  enable  me 
to  spend  one  more  year  as  an  apprentice  in 
some  very  large  shop.  Then  I  will  be  ready  to 
go  to  work." 


i  2  o  Tuskegee 

This  man  already  had  a  certificate  as  a  steam 
engineer,  and  Mr.  Thomas,  the  instructor  in 
charge  of  the  machine  shop,  told  me  that  he  was 
a  capable  workman. 

I  asked  this  man  when  he  found  time  to  get 
his  lessons,  when  he  was  working  all  day  and 
going  to  school  at  night.  He  said  :  "  It  is  hard 
work  to  find  time  enough  to  study.  You  have 
to  pick  your  time  —  nights,  mornings,  in  the 
dining  room,  whenever  you  can  get  a  minute." 

This  man  is  the  oldest  of  a  family  of  eleven — 
five  brothers  and  five  sisters.  His  next  oldest 
brother  had  followed  him  to  Tuskegee,  and  was 
a  student  there  at  the  time  of  which  I  write.  I 
asked  him  if  all  of  the  eleven  were  coming,  and 
he  said,  "  I  hope  so.  I'm  going  to  do  all  I  can 
to  help  send  them,  after  I  get  to  work."  In  this 
he  was  only  carrying  out  the  thought  which  seems 
to  influence  nearly  all  of  the  students  at  Tuske- 
gee. A  great  many  of  the  students  and  of  the 
teachers  have  younger  brothers  or  sisters  there 
whom  they 'are  helping  or  looking  out  for.  One 
young  man,  a  member  of  the  faculty,  who  has  no 
one  of  his  own  family  needing  help  in  this  way, 
I  happened  to  learn,  is  paying  all  the  expenses 
of  a  young  boy  who  otherwise  would  not  have 
been  able  to  remain.  I  have  no  doubt  there 
are  other  similar  cases. 

What  the  young  man  of  whom  I  have  just 
been  writing  said  about  the  students  being 
obliged  to  look  out  for  the  spare  minutes  for 
study  recalls  to  my  mind  two  illustrations  which 


THESE  BOYS  WALKED   OVER   FIVE   HUNDRED   MILES   TO   GET   TO 
TUSKEGEE   INSTITUTE. 


luskegee  121 

I  had  of  their  methods  for  doing  this.  I  was 
walking  back  to  the  school  from  town  one  day, 
when  I  saw  coming  towards  me  a  lumber  wagon 
drawn  by  two  mules,  with  a  young  colored  man 
driving.  The  day  was  very  hot  and  the  road  so 
sandy  that  the  driver  was  very  properly  letting 
the  animals  walk.  The  driver,  though,  was  so 
intent  on  something  in  his  lap  that  I  was  led  to 
wonder  what  it  was.  When  he  came  abreast  of 
me  I  saw  that  he  had  a  common-school  geogra- 
phy spread  out  on  his  knees,  and  was  hard  at 
work  learning  a  lesson.  I  should  not.  have  felt 
so  sure  that  he  was  an  Institute  boy,  even  then, 
except  that  he  happened  to  look  up  and,  recog- 
nizing me,  brought  his  hand  to  his  head  in  the 
military  salute  which  all  of  the  boys  at  the 
school  are  taught  to  use. 

Another  day  I  had  gone  down  into  a  field 
back  of  the  houses  in  which  a  number  of  the 
teachers  live,  to  watch  the  operation  of  grinding 
sugar  cane  and  boiling  down  the  syrup,  which 
was  going  on  there.  One  of  the  faculty  who 
owns  a  good  deal  of  land  raises  a  field  of  cane 
each  year  and  has  his  stock  of  syrup  made  at 
home.  Syrup  boiling  is  an  operation  which 
always  attracts  the  children  and  sometimes 
older  people.  There  were  a  dozen  small  chil- 
dren about,  all  gloriously  happy  in  various  degrees 
of  stickiness.  The  youngest,  not  more  than  a 
year  old,  was  in  charge  of  a  young  woman  whom 
I  had  seen  among  the  students.  They  were  sit- 
ting down  on  a  pile  of  the  leaves  which  had  been 


122  Tuskegee 


stripped  from  the  cane  stalks  and  I  had  -not 
noticed  them  particularly,  until  I  heard  the  girl 
say,  as  she  propped  the  baby  up  comfortably 
and  gave  him  a  fresh  piece  of  cane  to  suck : 
"  There,  now,  be  a  good  baby,  so  that  —  —  can 
get  her  lesson."  Then  she  produced  a  grammar 
and  exercise  book  and  went  to  work. 

James  M.  Flake,  Salem,  Alabama  :  "  I  came 
to  Tuskegee  first  in  1894,  and  stayed  between 
two  and  three  years.  I  was  in  day  school  first, 
and  then,  as  times  got  hard,  in  night  school. 
Then  I  had  to  go  out  to  work.  I  went  to  Bir- 
mingham, and  after  going  about  for  a  while  was 
surprised  to  find  that  although  I  was  educated, 
as  I  supposed,  I  could  get  no  work  except  with 
day  laborers  in  a  foundry.  I  decided  then  that 
a  man  needed  some  trade.  As  soon  as  I  could 
do  so  I  came  back  to  Tuskegee  and  began  to 
learn  farming.  Now,  when  I  get  through,  I  will 
know  how  to  really  do  something." 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

THE  Bible  School  at  Tuskegee  was  opened  as 
a  distinct  department  of  the  Institute  in  January, 
1893.  This  is  not  in  any  sense  a  theological 
school.  It  is  so  undenominational,  or,  rather,  if 
the  expression  may  be  allowed,  so  omni-denomi- 
national,  that  among  its  students  may  be  found 
not  only  Methodists,  Baptists,  Presbyterians  and 
Congregationalists,  but  Zion  Methodists,  Afri- 
can Methodists  and  Colored  Methodists,  Cov- 
enanters, Campbellites,  and  representatives  of 
various  other  minor  religious  sects  common  in 
the  South.  It  is  not  necessary  to  have  a  special 
"  call  "  to  the  ministry  to  enter  the  Bible  School 
at  Tuskegee.  Women,  as  well  as  men,  are  ad- 
mitted. Many  of  those  who  attend  are  persons 
who  desire  only  to  do  missionary  work  or  to  be- 
come intelligent  teachers  of  the  Bible  in  the 
Sunday  schools.  The  need  of  the  struggling 
little  country  churches  among  the  Negro  popula- 
tion of  the  South  is  not  so  much  for  preachers  of 
a  high  grade  of  mental  ability  as  it  is  for  conscien- 
tious, earnest  teachers  of  a  wholesome  life.  Such 
teachers  this  department  of  the  Institute  aims  to 
train. 

Mr.  Washington  has  outlined  the  purposes  of 
the  Bible  School  in  the  following  words  :  "  What 
we  desire  and  aim  at  is  to  give  men  and  women 
a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  English  Bible,  and 


124  Tuskegee 


to  give  them  ideas  of  doing  right  for  right's  sake 
—  to  inspire  them  to  go  out  to  work  for  the 
race,  to  help  in  uplifting  the  race  and  in  teach- 
ing it  right  principles." 

The  Bible  School  is  located  in  Phelps  Hall, 
an  excellent  three-story  wooden  building  erected 
expressly  for  this  school  by  a  friend  of  Tuskegee 
in  New  York.  A  bronze  tablet  in  the  entrance 
hall  bears  this  inscription  :  — 

THIS  BUILDING  COMMEMORATES  A  MOTHER'S  IN- 
TEREST IN  THE  MORAL  AND  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 
OF  THE  COLORED  PEOPLE 

CAROLINE   PHELPS 

DAUGHTER    OF 

ANSON    GREENE   PHELPS 

AND    WIFE    OF 

JAMES    STOKES 

OF    NEW    YORK 
ERECTED    BY    HER    AFFECTIONATE    DAUGHTER 

OLIVIA    EGLESTON    PHELPS     STOKES 

1892 

The  building  was  dedicated  in  January,  1893, 
and  among  those  who  were  present  then  and  de- 
livered addresses  were  General  Armstrong  and 
Dr.  Lyman  Abbot. 

The  Bible  School  is  in  charge  of  Rev.  Edgar 
J.  Penney,  A.  M.,  the  chaplain  of  the  Institute, 
a  graduate  of  Atlanta  University  and  Andover 
Theological  Seminary,  who  is  assisted  by  a  corps 
of  regular  instructors  and  lecturers.  In  addition 


Tuskegee  125 

to  lecturers  from  a  distance  who  come  to  Tuske- 
gee each  year  to  deliver  courses  of  addresses 
before  the  students  of  this  department,  the  pas- 
tors of  the  three  white  churches  in  Tuskegee 
deliver  courses  of  six  lectures  each  every  year. 
As  is  the  case  in  the  other  departments  of  the 
Institute,  there  is,  except  for  a  small  entrance  fee, 
no  charge  for  tuition,  on  account  of  the  limited 
means  of  the  students  ;  and  the  expenses  con- 
nected with  the  administration  of  the  Bible 
School  therefore  must  be  provided  for  from  out- 
side sources.  A  charge  of  eight  dollars  a  month 
secures  a  furnished  room,  board,  fuel,  lights,  and 
washing.  The  sessions  of  the  Bible  School  are 
held  only  in  the  forenoon,  so  that  the  students 
can  have  the  afternoons  for  work,  and  in  this 
way  pay  a  part  or  all  of  their  expenses.  The 
students  are  of  all  ages.  I  noticed  one  woman 
who  must  have  been  more  than  fifty  years  old, 
I  learned  that  she  had  been  for  many  years  at 
work  as  a  licensed  missionary  of  the  Methodist 
church,  but  that  she  had  come  to  the  Bible 
School  with  a  desire  to  get  a  more  thorough 
training  for  her  work.  She  had  paid  her  way 
while  there  by  doing  duty  as  night  watch  in  the 
girls'  dormitories. 

Frequently  the  students  in  the  Bible  School 
retain  their  positions  as  pastors  of  churches  near 
the  Institute  while  they  are  at  the  school. 
There  are  four  colored  churches  in  Tuskegee, 
and  at  times  the  pastors  of  all  of  these  have 
been  students.  Those  who  do  not  have  regular 


126  Tuskegee 

employment  in  this  way  do  missionary  work  in 
the  surrounding  country,  some  of  the  men  walk- 
ing out  as  far  as  twenty  miles  each  Sunday  for 
this  purpose.  For  several  years  the  students 
have  sustained  a  regular  Sunday  service  in  the 
county  jail  at  Tuskegee.  One  Sunday  afternoon 
I  was  walking  in  the  country  near  the  Institute 
and  came  unexpectedly  upon  one  of  the  country 
churches  just  as  a  service  conducted  by  one  of 
these  students  was  in  progress.  The  church 
was  a  weather-beaten  little  building  of  unplaned 
boards,  standing  in  an  opening  in  the  oak  forest, 
with  no  other  houses  in  sight.  It  stood  on  posts 
driven  into  the  ground  ;  the  door  step  was  a 
soap  box,  the  windows  had  never  been  fitted 
with  glass,  the  pews  were  backless  benches,  and 
the  pulpit  was  made  by  nailing  three  boards 
together  to  form  a  stand  on  which  a  Bible  could 
be  laid.  It  is  in  such  churches  as  this,  and  in 
school  houses  even  less  well  fitted  for  their  work, 
that  much  of  the  colored  population  of  the  South 
must  get  its  instruction  for  the  present.  The 
need  of  putting  into  these  buildings  the  best 
possible  teachers  and  preachers  is  all  the  more 
necessary. 

I  have  always  found  it  interesting  to  attend 
the  sessions  of  the  Bible  School.  Two  fore- 
noons each  week  are  devoted  to  preaching  exer- 
cises, and  two  members  of  the  class  speak  on 
each  of  these  mornings.  These  two  men  have 
selected  their  text  and  subject  a  week  in  advance 
and  have  prepared  an  abstract  which  has  satisfied 


Tuskegee  127 


the  dean  of  the  school.  Before  they  begin  to 
speak  they  place  upon  the  blackboard  an  outline 
of  their  sermons,  and  woe  be  to  them  if  they 
wander  from  the  line  of  thought  which  they 
have  mapped  out .  There  are  regularly  appointed 
critics  for  various  details,  in  addition  to  general 
criticisms  from  the  members  of  the  class.  I  have 
heard  some  excellent  sermons  preached  there.  . 
The  number  of  students  in  the  Bible  School 
in  a  year  is  usually  about  seventy-five.  A  large 
number  of  men  and  women  who  have  come  to 
Tuskegee  primarily  to  attend  the  Bible  School 
become  so  favorably  impressed  with  the  teach- 
ings in  the  other  departments  that  they  remain 
to  enter  the  academic  or  industrial  classes. 
Many  colored  clergymen  in  the  South  find  it 
desirable  to  combine  a  trade  with  the  profession 
of  preaching,  and  one  of  the  principles  which  the 
Bible  School  especially  endeavors  to  inculcate  is 
the  dignity  of  such  labor,  and  its  value,  not  only 
as  an  aid  to  the  personal  support  of  the  preacher 
himself,  but  as  an  example  of  industry  and  right 
living  to  the  people  in  his  community.  Among 
the  graduates  of  the  Bible  School  who  are  preach- 
ing are  a  tailor,  a  painter,  and  several  farmers, 
who  learned  their  trades  at  the  Institute.  One 
undergraduate  is  a  brick  mason.  One  of  the 
graduates  of  the  school  is  now  a  presiding  elder 
of  his  denomination,  and  graduates  from  the 
school  have  later  gone  to  Morris  Brown  College, 
Gammon  Theological  School,  and  Yale  Divinity 
School. 


128  Tuskegee 

The  general  moral  and  religious  training  of 
the  Institute  is  constant  and  thorough.  There 
is  a  regularly  appointed  chaplain  to  consider  the 
religious  interests  of  the  students.  In  addition 
to  the  chapel  services  which  I  have  already  de- 
scribed, there  is  a  regular  preaching  service,  a 
Sunday  School,  a  Christian  Endeavor  Society, 
a  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  a  Mission- 
ary Society,  a  Young  Woman's  Christian  Tem- 
perance Union,  a  Humane  Society,  and  various 
other  similar  organizations. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

WITH  the  close  of  the  school  year  in  May, 
1900,  the  graduates  from  the  three  departments 
of  the  Institute  numbered  several  hundred.  A 
canvass  made  by  the  Institute  not  long  before 
that  date  showed  that  there  were  also  over  three 
thousand  students  who  had  taken  only  a  partial 
course  who  were  doing  commendable  work. 
While  I  was  in  Alabama  in  the  fall  of  1899  I 
took  occasion  to  visit  a  number  of  graduates  and 
students  whose  homes  I  could  reach  conveni- 
ently, that  I  might  see  for  myself  what  kind  of 
work  they  were  doing,  and  how  they  were  doing 
it.  A  few  pages  quoted  from  my  note  books 
will  give  the  results  of  these  visits.  The  men 
and  women  whom  I  saw  were  not  in  any  way 
a  specially  picked  lot.  A  few  names  were  taken 
from  the  Institute's  catalogue,  of  graduates  re- 
ported to  be  living  in  the  places  through  which  I 
was  to  pass,  and  I  selected  those  which  I  could 
reach  most  easily,  obtaining  from  those  upon 
whom  I  called  the  names  and  addresses  of  others 
of  whom  I  had  not  heard  before.  Some  of  those 
I  saw  I  have  spoken  of  already.  I  judge  that  in 
this  way  I  obtained  a  fair  impression  of  the  gen- 
eral results  of  the  school's  work. 

The  idea  of  making  such  a  series  of  visits  as 
this  was  suggested  to  me  by  accident.  While  in 
Charleston,  West  Virginia,  with  Mr.  Washing- 


130  luskegee 

ton,  I  happened  to  be  told  that  there  was  a 
graduate  of  Tuskegee  who  was  doing  excellent 
work  as  a  teacher  of  industries  at  the  West 
Virginia  State  Agricultural,  Mechanical  and  Nor- 
mal School,  six  miles  below  Charleston.  I  went 
down  to  call  on  this  man,  Mr.  James  M.  Canty. 
What  I  saw  of  his  work,  and  what  he  told  me  of 
the  work  of  others  of  his  fellow-students  of 
whom  he  had  kept  himself  informed,  interested 
me,  with  the  result  I  have  mentioned.  I  give 
names  and  addresses,  that  any  one  who  may  de- 
sire to  do  so  may  be  able  to  verify  my  observa- 
tions. 

James  M.  Canty  is  a  native  of  Marietta, 
Georgia.  He  graduated  from  Tuskegee  in  1890, 
having  been  there  four  years.  His  story  as  he 
told  it  to  me  is  briefly  this  :  "  I  had  worked  some 
in  a  blacksmith  shop  in  Marietta  as  a  blacksmith, 
and  wanted  to  learn  the  trade  more  thoroughly. 
A  student  whom  I  knew  at  Tuskegee  sent  me  a 
copy  of  a  paper  containing  an  article  about  the 
school.  As  a  result  I  went  there.  When  I  reached 
Tuskegee  I  had  just  seven  dollars  in  money,  all 
my  worldly  possessions.  I  paid  all  my  expenses 
by  work  while  I  was  there,  and  came  out  with  a 
balance  in  my  favor.  For  three  years  after  I  gradu- 
ated I  worked  at  jny  trade  in  Marietta.  I  also 
worked  at  my  trade  during  the  long  summer  vaca- 
tions at  Atlanta  and  at  Birmingham.  At  no  time 
did  I  have  trouble  getting  work  or  keeping  it,  al- 
though I  was  always  in  shops  with  white  men. 
I  came  here  six  years  ago  to  take  charge  of  the 


PERDUE    BROTHERS,     CONTRACTORS    AND    BUILDERS. 


WILLIAM  J.    EDWARDS,      93, 

PRINCIPAL   SNOW    HILL 
INDUSTRIAL    INSTITUTE. 


JAMES  M.  CANTY,  90, 
SUPT.  OF  INDUSTRIES, 
W.  VA.  COLORED  INST. 


Tuskegee  131 

mechanical  department  and  have  been  here  ever 
since." 

Mr.  Canty's  work  as  a  teacher  was  very  highly 
commended  to  me  by  members  of  the  Board  of 
Regents  of  the  school.  I  was  told  that  several 
of  his  students  are  already  doing  good  work  as 
blacksmiths  and  carpenters  in  the  vicinity  of 
Charleston.  I  saw  at  the  school  grounds  a 
water  tank  holding  twenty-two  thousand  gallons, 
erected  on  a  steel  frame-work  seventy-seven  feet 
high.  Mr.  Canty  had  built  both  tank  and  frame 
with  no  help  except  that  of  his  students,  having 
drawn  all  the  plans  himself.  He  owns  a  half  of 
a  small  house  in  Montgomery,  Alabama,  which 
he  rents,  and  when  I  was  at  Charleston  had  just 
completed  a  good  frame  house  near  the  school 
grounds  which  he  owned  clear  of  any  debt  and 
rented  for  eight  dollars  a  month.  It  is  only  fair 
to  this  man,  and  to  all  of  the  graduates  of  whom 
I  write,  for  me  to  say  that  such  personal  infor- 
mation as  this  was  given  me  only  in  response  to 
my  questions,  and  then,  in  many  cases, -permis- 
sion to  print  it  given  only  because  I  felt  sure 
it  might  benefit  the  Institute  if  known.  Mr. 
Canty's  home  is  in  one  of  the  school  buildings. 
In  every  way  it  would  compare  very  favorably 
with  the  home  of  a  man  in  the  same  position 
anywhere. 

Joseph  L.  Burks  is  the  proprietor  of  a  grocery 
at  the  corner  of  Fourteenth  Street  and  Third 
Avenue,  Birmingham,  Alabama.  He  was  at 
Tuskegee  about  five  years,  leaving  there  in  1890. 


132  Tuskegee 


After  he  left  the  school  he  worked  in  hotels 
until  he  had  saved  $300,  and  then  with  this  for 
capital  opened  the  grocery  where  he  now  is. 
He  had  been  in  trade  three  years  when  I  was  at 
his  store.  His  stock  then  was  worth  at  least 
$1500,  and  was  paid  for.  The  stock  was  good 
and  fresh  and  the  store  neat  and  attractive.  I 
happened  to  encounter  this  man  afterwards  in 
the  Penny  Savings  Bank,  the  famous  Negro  bank 
of  Birmingham,  just  as  he  was  making  a  deposit. 
The  footing  at  the  bottom  of  the  deposit  slip 
spoke  well  for  his  trade. 

Robert  Mabry  is  a  tailor  doing  business  in  Bir- 
mingham, on  Eighteenth  Street,  between  First 
and  Second  Avenues.  He  graduated  from.  Tus- 
kegee in  1895,  after  having  been  there  five  years. 
The  last  two  years  he  was  there  he  took  tailoring. 
He  employs  one  man  all  of  the  time  and  at  times 
another  man  and  a  woman.  His  brother,  who  is 
now  at  Tuskegee  learning  tailoring,  works  for  him 
during  the  summer  vacation.  His  trade  is  not 
confined  to  people  of  his  own  race  ;  he  has  a  num- 
ber of  white  men  among  his  regular  customers. 

George  F.  Baker,  a  shoemaker,  has  a  shop  at 
1129  First  Avenue,  Birmingham.  This  man 
went  to  Tuskegee  in  1 894  and  stayed  five  years, 
graduating  from  the  shoemaking  class.  When 
he  came  to  Birmingham,  bought  some  stock, 
hired  a  shop  and  paid  a  month's  rent  in  advance, 
he  had  just  fifteen  cents  left  in  cash.  He  had 
had  his  shop  open  four  months  when  I  went  to 
see  him,  and  had  made  a  good  living.  He  could 


tell  me  just  what  his  business  had  been  for  each 
week.  I  think  he  was  one  of  the  happiest  men 
I  ever  saw.  He  said  to  me  :  "  I  sit  here  at  my 
work  and  think  of  Tuskegee,  of  the  songs  we 
used  to  sing,  and  of  what  it  has  done  for  me. 
I  love  the  place." 

David  L.  Johnson  is  a  druggist  at  the  corner 
of  Avenue  A  and  Twentieth  Street,  Birmingham. 
This  man's  story  as  he  told  it  to  me  was  this : 
"  As  a  boy  I  lived  in  Dallas,  Alabama.  A  rela- 
tive who  had  been  to  Tuskegee  told  me  of  the 
new  school  which  had  been  established  there  for 
colored  people.  I  entered  the  day  school  in 
1885,  when  I  was  fourteen  years  old.  I  worked 
on  the  farm.  The  first  vacation  I  came  to  Pratt 
City  and  went  to  work  in  a  coal  mine.  I  was 
at  Tuskegee  four  years,  easily  making  enough 
in  the  mines  in  the  vacation  to  pay  my  expenses. 
After  I  graduated  I  taught  school  or  worked  min- 
ing. After  awhile  I  decided  to  learn  pharmacy. 
To  get  the  money  to  do  this  I  went  to  Milldale 
and  went  to  work  mining.  I  cleared  $1500  in  a 
year.  I  did  this  by  contracting,  and  working 
other  men  under  me.  I  worked  driving  the  head- 
ing in  the  main." 

I  asked  Mr.  Johnson  why  he  did  not  keep  on 
at  mining  if  he  could  do  as  well  as  this,  and  he 
said  he  gave  it  up  because  it  was  breaking  him 
down,  physically  —  which  I  could  understand 
might  be  the  case,  as  he  is  a  man  of  slight  phy- 
sique. What  he  told  me  of  his  work  in  the 
mines  was  confirmed  to  me  by  other  persons. 


34  Tuskegee 


The  president  of  the  company  for  which  he 
worked  said  that  he  was  one  of  the  very  best 
miners  the  company  had  ever  had.  I  learned 
that  for  some  years  he  had  supported  his  father 
and  mother,  and  assisted  other  relatives,  and 
that  he  is  carrying  an  insurance  policy  of  two 
thousand  dollars  on  his  father's  life.  I  asked 
him  if  he  had  any  trouble  getting  work  in  the 
mines  on  account  of  his  color,  and  he'  said  :  "  No, 
never  ;  I  worked  right  beside  white  men  a  great 
part  of  the  time,  and  never  knew  that  I  was 
colored.  If  a  man  really  wants  to  work  he  can 
find  work  to  do,  whether  he  be  white  or  black. 
Perhaps  it  may  not  be  at  first  just  what  he  would 
like  most  to  do,  but  it  will  be  something,  and 
with  a  chance  of  promotion." 

This  man  went  to  Meharry  College,  at  Nash- 
ville, and  stayed  three  years,  to  learn  pharmacy. 
He  then  came  back  to  Birmingham,  and  went 
into  business.  His  drug  store  was  one  of  the 
two  colored  drug  stores  in  the  city  when  I  was 
there. 

I  asked  him  how  he  felt  towards  Tuskegee. 
He  said  :  "  I  love  Tuskegee.  I  mean  always  to 
be  doing  something  for  the  place.  I  never  hear 
the  name  spoken  even  on  the  street  that  I  do 
not  stop  and  try  to  get  acquainted  with  the  per- 
son who  has  spoken  it,  if  he  be  a  stranger  to  me. 
I  do  all  I  can  to  brace  up  and  encourage  the 
young  people  who  are  going  there,  and  to  induce 
others  to  go.  I  do  not  think  there  is  a  Tuskegee 
graduate  here  whom  I  do  not  know."  He  cer- 


Tuskegee  135 


tainly  was  able  to  tell  me  of  a  considerable  num- 
ber of  students,  and  where  I  could  find  them.  In 
conclusion,  he  said  :  "  I  can  sum  up  my  opinion 
of  the  methods  at  Tuskegee  in  one  sentence.  It 
was  there  I  learned  how  to  learn." 

Floyd  Brooks  had  just  opened  a  small  grocery 
at  the  corner  of  Twenty-sixth  Street  and  Second 
Avenue,  Birmingham,  when  I  was  there.  He 
was  the  youngest  of  any  of  the  students  whom  I 
saw  in  business  for  himself,  being  only  twenty 
years  old.  He  had  run  an  ice  business  success- 
fully that  summer,  and  planned  to  peddle  coal  in 
the  winter.  He  had  worked  in  grocery  stores 
and  hotels  after  he  came  from  the  school,  until 
he  got  capital  enough  to  start  in  trade.  He 
said  :  "  I  never  would  have  been  anything  at  all 
if  I  had  n't  been  to  Tuskegee.  It  taught  me  how 
to  be  economical,  and  how  to  do  this,"  pointing 
to  the  desk  and  goods  in  his  little  store. 

There  were  seven  young  women,  all  graduates 
of  the  academic  department  at  Tuskegee,  who 
were  teaching  in  the  public  schools  of  Birming- 
ham when  I  was  there.  I  visited  the  schools  in 
which  all  were  teaching,  and  saw  them  at  their 
work. 

Miss  Lucile  Hunter  teaches  the  fourth  grade 
in  the  Lane  Grammar  School.  She  had  fifty-two 
scholars.  That  was  her  second  year  in  the  school. 
She  had  come  directly  there  from  Tuskegee.  She 
had  taught  the  children  some  of  the  Tuskegee 
songs,  and  they  sang  them  well. 

Miss  Annie  E.  Payne  graduated  from  Tuske- 


136  Tuskegee 


gee  in  1894,  and  had  been  teaching  in  the  Lane 
Grammar  School  ever  since.  She  had  the  junior 
second  grade  when  I  was  there.  She  had  seven- 
ty-five scholars. 

Miss  Lizzie  S.  Browning  graduated  from  Tus- 
kegee in  1895.  She  had  taught  country  schools 
at  first,  and  that  was  her  first  year  in  the  city. 
She  had  the  first  grade  juniors  of  the  Lane 
Grammar  School — ninety-seven  in  all.  I  find 
in  my  note  book  a  memorandum  of  the  pains 
she  was  taking  to  have  the  children  overcome 
the  careless  habits  of  pronunciation  which  they 
brought  to  school  with  them,  such  as  "  lak  "  for 
"  like." 

Miss  Orlean  D.  Kennedy  was  in  charge  of  the 
sixth  grade  in  the  Slater  Grammar  School.  She 
had  been  there  several  years.  She  had  sixty 
scholars.  She  said  :  "  I  feel  that  I  owe  every- 
thing to  Tuskegee."  I  found  the  girls  of  her 
school  making  a  bed-quilt,  to  be  sent  to  the  Ala- 
bama State  Fair,  and  she  told  me  that  she 
taught  the  girls  sewing  two  days  in  the  week. 
I  found  out  afterwards  that  this  was  done  wholly 
of  her  own  accord.  Miss  Kennedy  showed  me, 
with  a  great  deal  of  pride,  the  "  Washington 
Library,"  in  the  Slater  School  building,  of  which 
she  is  the  librarian.  This  is  a  library  of  about 
twelve  hundred  volumes,  bought  with  money 
raised  in  various  ways  by  the  colored  schools  of 
the  city,  and  available  to  any  one  who  pays  a  sub- 
scription of  ten  cents  a  month,  or  one  dollar  a  year. 
The  library  is  named  for  Booker  Washington. 


Tuskegee  137 

The  books  were  selected  by  Dr.  Phillipps,  the 
superintendent  of  schools  in  Birmingham,  who 
acted  as  treasurer  of  the  fund  until  a  sufficient 
sum  was  secured. 

Mrs.  Emma  J.  Boyd  (Miss  Parker)  graduated 
from  Tuskegee  in  1 89 1 .  This  was  her  second 
year  in  the  Slater  School,  where  she  had  the 
third  grade.  She  had  eighty-one  scholars. 

Miss  Rosaline  Bradford  graduated  from  Tus- 
kegee in  1893.  This  was  her  first  year  in  the 
Slater  School,  where  she  had  the  fourth  grade. 
She  had  taught  three  years  in  Mr.  Edwards's 
school  at  Snow  Hill,  Alabama.  Birmingham 
was  her  home,  and  she  was  educated  in  the  very 
school  in  which  she  was  then  teaching. 

Miss  Irene  M.  Thompson  graduated  from 
Tuskegee  in  1894.  She  had  the  first  grade  of 
the  Cameron  School,  with  ninety-two  scholars. 
She  had  taught  for  some  time  in  the  country, 
but  this  was  her  fifth  term  in  her  present  posi- 
tion. 

I  interviewed  Dr.  J.  H.  Phillipps,  the  superin- 
tendent of  schools  in  Birmingham,  in  regard  to 
the  school  work  of  these  young  women.  He 
said  they  were  doing  excellent  work,  and  then 
added  :  "  I  find  in  the  graduates  of  Tuskegee 
who  have  been  teachers  in  our  public  schools 
here  a  recognition  of  the  industrial  factors  in  the 
elements  of  education.  They  encourage  the 
children  to  work,  and  give  them"  much  instruc- 
tion outside  of  the  text-books." 

S.  P.  Foreman  is  studying  pharmacy  in  the 


138  Tuskegee 


drug  store  of  Dr.  Charles  E.  Thomas,  at  124 
West  Tenth  Street,  Anniston,  Alabama.  He 
went  to  Tuskegee  in  1889,  and  remained  there 
five  years.  It  was  his  plan  then  to  become  a 
druggist,  and  he  gave  special  attention  to  chem- 
istry. He  had  been  in  his  present  position  two 
years  when  I  saw  him.  The  drug  store  of  Dr. 
Thomas  is  one  of  the  best  colored  drug  stores  in 
the  state,  and  would  do  credit  to  any  city. 

E.  J.  Williams  owns  and  manages  a  good 
"  white "  barber  shop  on  East  Tenth  Street, 
Anniston.  He  employs  three  men.  He  owns 
his  shop  a.nd  home,  and  some  other  real  estate. 
He  left  Tuskegee  six  years  before,  and  came  to 
work  in  the  shop  where  he  now  is.  After  a 
while  he  became  a  partner  in  the  business,  and 
then  eventually  the  sole  owner.  He  also  owns 
an  interest  in  a  tailor  shop,  next  door  to  his  bar- 
ber shop. 

S.  T.  Simpson  I  found  working  in  the  tailor 
shop  to  which  I  have  just  referred.  He  had  not 
completed  his  trade  at  Tuskegee,  and  was  away 
earning  money  to  go  back  and  finish.  I  saw 
some  excellent  garments  of  his  cutting  and 
making. 

George  W.  Crawford,  in  charge  of  the  library 
of  Talladega  College,  Talladega,  Alabama,  and  a 
student  in  the  college,  graduated  from  Tuskegee 
and  came  to  Talladega.  He  hoped  eventually 
to  study  law.  He  said  :  "  We  all  think  a  heap 
of  Tuskegee." 

Two  other  graduates  of  Tuskegee  who  went 


Tuskegee  139 

to  Talladega  for  advanced  studies  had  graduated 
from  the  latter  institution  just  previous  to  my 
being  there.  Of  these,  John  F.  Young  had  en- 
tered the  law  department  of  Howard  University, 
at  Washington,  and  William  H.  Hollo  way  had 
entered  the  senior  class  of  the  Yale  Divinity 
School. 

Miss  Jemmie  Pierce  is  in  charge  of  the  mil- 
linery department  of  the  store  of  Mr.  J.  W. 
Adams,  of  Montgomery,  Alabama.  This  is  an 
excellent  store,  with  a  good  line  of  goods,  and 
requires  the  services  of  several  persons  in  the 
different  departments.  Mr.  Adams,  who  is  one 
of  the  trustees  of  Tuskegee,  is  one  of  the  most 
successful  business  men  of  his  race  in  the  state. 
Miss  Pierce  is  a  native  of  Greenville,  Alabama. 
She  was  a  student  at  Tuskegee  five  years,  be- 
ginning work  in  the  plain-sewing  department 
and  going  on  through  the  dressmaking  class  to 
millinery. 

Miss  Ida  Abercrombie  is  a  teacher  in  the 
Swayne  School  in  Montgomery.  She  went  to 
Tuskegee  in  1885,  remained  four  years,  and  then 
after  she  graduated  remained  two  years  more  as 
a  teacher  there.  I  spent  one  whole  session  in  her 
room.  She  is  one  of  the  most  capable  teachers 
of  her  grade  I  have  ever  seen  anywhere,  and  it 
was  a  pleasure  to  watch  her  methods.  She  does 
not  confine  herself  to  teaching  books  alone. 
There  was  a  good,  stout  comb  on  the  desk,  and 
scholars  who  came  with  uncombed  hair  were  sent 
out  to  use  the  comb  until  they  were  in  a  satisfac- 


140  Tuskegee 

tory  condition.  Children  who  came  with  dirty 
faces  or  dirty  clothes  were  sent  home  with  a 
polite  note  to  their  mothers,  requesting  that  they 
be  made  tidy  before  they  be  allowed  to  return. 
The  teacher  admitted  that  this  policy  occasion- 
ally caused  her  to  receive  calls  from  very  angry 
mothers,  but  she  said  that  they  generally  proved 
amenable  to  reason  in  the  end. 

Nicholas  Abercrombie  graduated  from  Tus- 
kegee and  has  been  employed  for  eight  years  as 
distributing  clerk  in  the  Montgomery  post- 
office. 

Stephen  C.  Shepard  was  a  Tuskegee  student, 
but  did  not  remain  to  graduate.  He  has  been 
a  letter  carrier  connected  with  the  Montgomery 
post-office  for  eight  years. 

A.  C.  Perdue  is  the  senior  member  of  the 
firm  of  Perdue  Brothers,  contractors  and  build- 
ers, 3 1 5  West  Jeff  Davis  Avenue,  Montgomery. 
Both  brothers  are  Tuskegee  graduates,  but  I 
saw  only  the  elder.  Mr.  Perdue  went  to  Tuske- 
gee first  in  1888,  and  graduated  in  1891.  For 
three  years  he  worked  at  his  trade,  and  then  re- 
turned to  Tuskegee  as  a  teacher  in  the  repair 
shop,  that  he  might  have  an  opportunity  to  take 
a  course  at  the  Institute  in  architectural  and 
mechanical  drawing.  After  he  had  completed 
that  course  he  returned  to  Montgomery  and 
went  into  business  with  his  brother.  The  firm 
had  plenty  of  work,  the  greater  part  of  it  from 
white  customers.  When  I  found  Mr.  Perdue  he 
was  on  top  of  a  large  house  on  one  of  the  best  res- 


Tuskegee  141 

idence  streets  of  the  city,  where  he  was  oversee- 
ing an  extensive  job  of  repairs  and  alterations. 

Dr.  Thomas  N.  Harris  is  a  physician  and  sur- 
geon in  Mobile,  and  one  of  the  partners  in  a 
drug  store  there.  Dr.  Harris  went  to  Tuskegee 
and  remained  four  years,  learning  the  printer's 
trade.  After  he  graduated  he  returned  to  Mont- 
gomery and  taught  printing  for  four  years  in  the 
State  Normal  School  for  Negroes  in  that  city. 
From  there  he  went  to  Meharry  Medical  Col- 
lege, from  which  he  graduated,  and  began  the 
practice  of  his  profession. 

Mrs.  I.  S.  Watkins  (Celia  E.  McDonald)  grad- 
uated from  Tuskegee  in  1893.  Her  husband  is 
a  pharmacist  in  Montgomery.  They  own  their 
home,  a  pleasant  house  on  South  Jackson  Street, 
at  which  I  called  to  see  her.  I  mention  this 
because  I  wish  to  speak  of  her  housekeeping  — 
her  work  —  in  the  same  way  in  which  I  have 
spoken  of  the  work  of  the  other  graduates  whom 
I  visited.  At  my  request  Mrs.  Watkins  very 
kindly  showed  me  her  whole  house.  It  was 
comfortably  and  tastefully  furnished  —  a  good 
piano,  pictures,  books,  and  all  the  accessories  of 
a  cultivated  home  —  and  was  spotlessly  neat  and 
in  perfect  order.  When  I  said  something  about 
this  and  spoke  of  Tuskegee  she  said,  "  I  learned 
order  and  system  at  Tuskegee.  When  I  was 
there  prayers  were  held  in  the  morning.  It  was 
a  rule  that  the  girls  must  all  make  their  rooms 
neat  and  tidy  before  they  left  them  in  the  morn- 
ing. They  were  inspected  every  morning  and  a 


142  Tuskegee 


report  made.  Then  if  any  girl  had- left  her  room 
untidy,  Mr.  Washington  read  off  her  name  in 
chapel,  and  she  had  to  get  up,  right  there  in  the 
eyes  of  everybody,  and  march  out  to  go  and  put 
it  in  shape.  I  hope  I  was  naturally  a  good 
housekeeper,  but  if  I  had  not  been  I  know  the 
dread  of  the  shame  of  having  to  be  sent  out  of 
chapel  like  that  during  the  years  I  was  at  Tus- 
kegee would  have  made  me  one." 

While  I  was  talking  with  Mrs.  Watkins,  her 
little  boy,  about  two  years  old  and  just  beginning 
to  talk,  came  to  her  bringing  a  long  white  roll  of 
paper,  saying  in  his  broken  words,  "  I  wants  to 
see  Mr.  Was'in'ton." 

His  mother  unrolled  the  paper  —  it  proved  to 
be  one  of  the  large  lithographs  of  Booker  Wash- 
ington, saved  from  some  window  where  it  had 
advertised  one  of  his  addresses  —  and  spread  it 
out  upon  her  knee,  where  the  boy  stood  looking 
at  it.  "  Do  you  love  Mr.  Washington  ? "  his 
mother  asked. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  little  fellow,  looking  from  the 
picture  up  into  her  face,  and  then  adding,  slow- 
ly and  emphatically,  "  I  do." 

"  That 's  right,"  she  said.  "  Mother 's  surely 
going  to  send  you  to  be  a  little  Tuskegeean  as 
soon  as  you  are  old  enough." 

The  incident  interested  me  as  showing  the 
strong  impression  which  Mr.  Washington's  per- 
sonality makes  upon  his  students,  and  it  seemed 
to  me  full  of  promise  for  the  future  of  the  school. 

A.  J.  Wilborn,  of  Tuskegee,  graduated  from 


Tuskegee  143 


the  school  in  1888.  For  three  years  he  worked 
at  shoemaking  in  Tuskegee  and  then  opened  a 
grocery  store  there,  in  which  he  has  built  up  a 
business  which  is  among  the  most  successful  in 
the  town.  Having  decided  to  erect  a  substantial 
brick  store  in  1900,  Mr.  Wilborn  ordered  one  hun- 
dred thousand  brick  from  the  Tuskegee  Institute 
brick  yard,  at  six  dollars  a  thousand,  and  sent 
his  check  to  pay  for  them  in  advance. 

Joseph  O.  Geddes,  who  went  to  Tuskegee  in 
1895  and  remained  three  years,  working  in  the 
carpenter  and  joiner  shop  and  in  the  paint  shop, 
I  found  at  work  in  a  wood-working  shop  connect- 
ed with  his  father's  undertaking  business  at 
1726  Erato  Street,  New  Orleans.  This  young 
man  and  his  father  both  spoke  in  warm  terms  of 
the  efficiency  of  the  instruction  at  the  Institute, 
and  of  its  results  as  seen  in  the  young  man's 
help  in  their  business. 

N.  E.  Henry,  Ramer,  Alabama,  graduated 
from  Tuskegee  in  1893.  He  taught  school  for 
three  years  at  Matthew's  Station,  in  the  same 
state,  and  then  came  to  Ramer,  where  I  saw 
him  and  visited  his  school.  When  he  went 
there  first  there  was  no  school  house,  and  the 
sessions  were  held  in  an  old  church.  Since  he 
has  been  at  Ramer  he  has  built,  with  the  help 
of  the  men  whose  children  come  to  his  school,  a 
school  house  twenty  by  forty-two  feet  square, 
containing  two  rooms,  rudely  but  neatly  fur- 
nished. He  has  at  times  over  a  hundred  scholars. 
Before  he  built  an  addition  to  the  school  house 


144  Tuskegee 


which  gave  him  a  second  room,  one  of  the 
older  scholars,  who  assisted  him  in  hearing  the 
lessons,  took  her  class  out  of  doors  to  hear  the 
recitations,  so  as  not  to  interfere  with  the  lessons 
going  on  in  the  school  room.  The  allowance  of 
public  money  for  this  school  had  been  on  an 
average  only  between  twenty  and  thirty  dollars 
a  year,  previous  to  the  time  I  was  there.  Mr. 
Henry  rented  ground  and  raised  cotton  and 
corn,  with  the  help  of  the  labor  of  the  pupils,  to 
earn  more  money.  With  what  he  had  obtained 
in  this  way  and  what  the  parents  of  the  scholars 
had  been  able  to  contribute,  the  school  had  been 
kept  open  nine  months  in  the  year.  I  asked 
this  man  if  he  intended  to  remain  where  he  was, 
and  he  said,  "  Yes.  I  think  the  people  need  me 
here.  If  I  were  to  go  away  I  am  afraid  they 
would  go  back  to  what  they  were  before  I  came." 
This  feeling,  he  said,  came  from  his  training  at 
Tuskegee.  When  he  first  went  to  Tuskegee  as 
a  student  he  walked  from  Montgomery,  forty 
miles,  because  he  had  no  money  with  which  to 
go  in  any  other  way.  In  the  three  years  he  was 
at  Matthew's  Station  he  sent  five  pupils  to  Tus- 
kegee, and  hoped  soon  to  be  able  to  send  one  or 
more  from  Ramer.  In  the  spring  of  1900  I 
saw  him  at  the  Tuskegee  Negro  Conference, 
with  five  of  his  pupils  from  Ramer  whom  he  had 
brought  to  get  the  benefit  of  the  sessions  of  the 
Conference. 

A.    J.  Wood,  who  graduated  from  Tuskegee 
in  1887,  is  in  business  as  a  general  merchant, 


A.    J.    WILBORN,    'I 
GROCER. 


N.    E.    HENRY,  93, 
TEACHER. 


WILLIAM   PEARSON,    '96, 
TINSMITH. 


A.    J.    WOOD,    '87, 
GENERAL   MERCHANT. 


Tuskegee  145 


at  Benton,  Alabama.  This  man  taught  school 
after  he  graduated  until  he  had  saved  $90  with 
which  as  capital  he  opened  the  store  where  he 
now  is.  With  a  desire  to  learn  all  that  I  could 
about  Mr.  Wood,  and  knowing  that  a  man's 
rivals  in  business  will  usually  be  acquainted  with 
his  failings,  I  went  into  one  of  the  largest  white 
stores  in  Benton  and  asked  the  proprietor, 
"  What  kind  of  a  man  is  this  Wood,  the  colored 
merchant  down  the  street  here  ?  " 

The  merchant,  because  I  was  a  stranger  in 
town,  concluded  that  I  was  a  drummer,  and 
answered  promptly  :  "  You  can  sell  him  all  the 
goods  you  have  a  mind  to  and  he  will  pay  for 
them  every  time.  He's  good  for  all  he  will 
buy." 

This  man  has  a  good  store  and  has  built  up  a 
good  trade.  He  has  the  respect  of  the  commu- 
nity. He  told  me  that  probably  a  third  of  his 
trade  came  from  white  customers,  a  fact  which 
.my  own  observation  while  I  was  in  the  store 
would  confirm.  While  I  was  in  the  store  and 
Mr.  Wood  had  been  called  away  to  wait  on 
some  customers,  I  stepped  to  the  open  back 
door  of  the  store  and  stood  looking  out  into  a 
narrow  yard  behind  the  building.  While  I  was 
there  the  merchant  joined  me  and  began  to  call, 
"  Suke  !  Suke  !  Suke  !  Ho,  there,  Suke  !  " 

In  response  to  the  summons  there  began  to 
be  a  grunting  down  under  the  store  —  like  most 
southern  buildings,  the  store  was  raised  a  little 
way  from  the  ground  and  had  no  cellar  —  and 


146 


u  s  k  e  g  e 


presently  there  came  squeezing  out,  with  con- 
siderable difficulty  —  because  he  was  getting  alto- 
gether too  large  to  crawl  under  the  sills  of  the 
building  —  an  enormous,  fat,  black  hog. 

"  That  is  my  hog,"  the  merchant  explained. 
"  I  raise  one  every  year.  There  isn't  any  real 
reason  why  I  should"  —he  was  not  married, 
and  boarded  out  —  "  but  I  raise  them  as  object 
lessons.  It  doesn't  take  much  of  anything  to 
feed  them  on,  except  the  waste  from  the  store, 
and  you  see  how  fat  they  grow. 

"  Then  I  get  the  Negro  farmers  who  come  in 
to  trade,"  he  continued,  "  to  come  and  look  at 
my  hog,  and  see  what  can  be  done  by  keeping 
the  animals  shut  up  and  fed,  instead  of  letting 
them  run  wild  and  hunt  their  own  feed,  as  is  the 
custom  of  most  of  the  farmers  here.  Then  I 
tell  them  how  they  might  just  as  well  have  their 
hogs  look  like  mine,  instead  of  being  the  razor- 
backs  they  are.  All  the  farmers  need  to  do  is 
to  shut  up  the  pigs  in  a  pen  of  rails  and  set  the 
children  to  gathering  acorns  with  which  to  feed 
them. 

"  I  can't  start  a  school  here,"  he  concluded ; 
"  I  tried  to,  and  could  not  ;  but  if  I  can't  do 
that  I  can  at  least  teach  the  farmers  here  how  to 
raise  hogs  as  I  learned  to  raise  them  at  Tuske- 
gee." 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE  building  up  by  a  Tuskegee  student  of  a 
school  for  colored  children  at  Ramer,  Alabama, 
which  I  have  referred  to  in  the  preceding  chap- 
ter, is  only  one  of  many  similar  instances.  Just 
as  Tuskegee  may  be  called  a  child  of  Hampton, 
there  are  springing  up,  all  over  the  far  South, 
country  schools  which  may  be  called  the  chil- 
dren of  Tuskegee.  The  largest  and  one  of  the 
most  successful  of  these  is  Snow  Hill  Industrial 
Institute,  at  Snow  Hill,  Alabama,  established  by 
William  J.  Edwards,  of  the  class  of  '93.  The 
pupils  at  Snow  Hill  already  number  over  three 
hundred  every  year. 

The  story  of  Mr.  Edwards's  life  and  the  found- 
ing of  Snow  Hill  Institute  is  typical  of  what 
scores  of  Negroes  in  the  South  are  doing,  although 
in  a  smaller  way,  to  pass  on  to  others  of  their 
race  the  help  which  Tuskegee  has  given  to 
them. 

Mr.  Edwards  was  born  in  a  wretched  cabin 
home.  His  mother  died  soon  after  he  was  born, 
and  his  father  promptly  deserted  him.  An  old 
grandmother  cared  for  him  until  he  was  twelve 
years  old,  when  she,  too,  died.  A  few  years 
later  the  boy  heard  of  Tuskegee,  and,  after  hav- 
ing walked  over  a  hundred  miles  to  reach  the 
Institute,  stayed  there  until  he  graduated.  He 
was  offered  excellent  positions  at  good  pay,  but 


148  Tuskegee 

refused  them  all  to  go  back  to  his  old  home  at 
Snow  Hill,  where  he  opened  a  school  for  colored 
pupils  in  an  old  log  hut.  As  this  school  devel- 
oped, the  excellent  effect  of  its  influence  in  the 
county  attracted  the  attention  of  Hon.  R.  O. 
Simpson,  one  of  the  most  prominent  white  citi- 
zens of  the  county  and  an  ex-slaveholder.  This 
man  became  so  much  impressed  with  the  value 
to  the  community  of  the  young  colored  man's 
school  that  he  gave  forty  acres  of  land  for  a  per- 
manent location,  and  has  contributed  generously 
to  its  support  each  year. 

Snow  Hill  Institute  now  employs  a  force  of 
twelve  teachers,  all  of  them  graduates  of  Tuske- 
gee. Instruction  is  given  in  academic,  moral 
and  religious,  and  industrial  departments.  Nine 
industries  are  taught,  special  attention  being 
given  to  farming.  Except  for  the  assistance 
given  him  by  Mr.  Simpson,  Mr.  Edwards  is 
obliged  to  depend  almost  wholly  upon  his  own 
efforts  to  secure  the  money  necessary  for  the 
support  of  his  school. 

Mt.  Meigs  Colored  Industrial  Institute  was 
started  by  Tuskegee  graduates  in  1885.  Miss 
Cornelia  Bowen,  one  of  the  first  graduates  of 
Tuskegee  Institute,  is  the  principal,  and  the  suc- 
cess of  the  school  has  been  largely  a  result  of 
her  interest  and  ability.  The  school  now  has 
four  buildings,  including  one  devoted  to  indus- 
trial training.  There  are  five  teachers  and  an 
average  of  two  hundred  pupils. 

Miss  Lizzie  E.  Wright,  '93,  has  established 


WILLIAM  J.  EDWARDS      FIRST  SCHOOL   HOUSE   AT  SNOW   HILL. 


"  WASHINGTON   HALL,        ONE   OF  THE    PRESENT    SCHOOL- 
BUILDINGS  AT  SNOW   HILL. 


Tuskegee  149 

one  of  the  most  encouraging  schools  at  Den- 
mark, South  Carolina,  where  she  has  about  three 
hundred  pupils.  Her  experience  shows  what  the 
earnest  efforts  of  one  person  can  do.  She  was 
an  orphan,  living  with  an  aunt.  One  day,  when 
she  was  a  girl,  a  scrap  of  paper  blowing  over  the 
ground  attracted  her  attention.  It  proved  to  be 
a  part  of  a  circular  describing  Tuskegee  Insti- 
tute. She  could  hardly  read  well  enough  to 
comprehend  all  that  the  bit  of  paper  said,  but 
with  the  help  of  some  one  else  made  out  enough 
so  that  she  was  fired  with  a  desire  to  go  to 
Tuskegee.  Her  uncle  told  her  that  if  she  would 
work  for  him  the  next  year  in  the  cotton  field  he 
would  give  her  fifteen  dollars  wages,  and  that 
with  that  she  would  be  able  to  get  to  Tuskegee. 
She  toiled  through  all  the  hot  months,  only  to 
have  the  crop  so  nearly  a  failure  that  the  planter 
could  pay  her  nothing.  The  next  year  she  be- 
gan again  and  did  the  work  all  over.  That  year 
she  was  paid  and  went  to  Tuskegee,  remaining 
there  until  she  graduated.  After  graduation  she 
went  to  South  Carolina,  and,  after  looking  about 
for  some  time  for  a  place  where  she  could  begin 
work,  settled  in  Denmark.  After  a  time,  through 
the  help  of  a  white  gentleman  there,  she  was 
able  to  buy  twenty  acres  of  land,  with  some 
buildings  on  it,  for  $2,000.  She  has  paid  all  of 
this  but  $300,  getting  the  money  when  and 
where  she  could,  and  while  doing  it  building  up 
her  school.  She  has  three  teachers  besides  her- 
self —  one  of  them  a  young  man  who  graduated 


o  Tuskege 


from  Tuskegee,  who  oversees  the  students  in  the 
cultivation  of  the  twenty  acres  of  land  which  the 
school  owns. 

John  H.  Michael,  '92,  after  having  occupied 
the  position  of  Superintendent  of  Industries  at 
Mt.  Meigs  Colored  Industrial  Institute  for  some 
time,  went  to  the  Slater  Industrial  and  State 
Normal  School,  at  Winston-Salem,  North  Caro- 
lina, where  he  occupies  the  same  place.  He  has 
made  an  excellent  record  as  a  teacher,  especially 
in  the  erection  of  buildings,  several  large  school 
buildings  having  been  put  up  wholly  or  in  part 
by  the  students,  under  his  supervision. 

Abner  B.  Jackson,  '91,  has  built  a  good  school 
house  at  Brackin,  Alabama,  on  the  site  of  an  old 
log  hut,  in  which  he  began  to  teach  when  he 
went  there.  He  has  between  two  hundred  and 
three  hundred  pupils,  the  children  coming  to 
school  during  the  summer,  and  their  fathers  and 
mothers  during  the  season  of  the  year  when 
they  are  not  employed  on  the  land. 

R.  C.  Calhoun,  '96,  has  established  a  school 
of  one  hundred  students  at  Eatonville,  Florida, 
where  his  work  has  made  such  a  good  impression 
that  he  has-  been  given  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  of  land  for  a  permanent  location.  He  has 
a  blacksmith  shop  already,  and  will  add  other 
industries.  He  intends  to  plant  a  part  of  his 
land  to  orange  trees.  His  wife,  who  was  a  Tus- 
kegee undergraduate,  is  his  assistant. 

Sidney  M.  Murphey,  '87,  has  taught  continu- 
ously since  graduation  as  principal  of  the  public 


Tuskegee  151 

school  in  Eufaula,  Alabama.  He  is  now  a  trus- 
tee of  Wilberforce  University. 

In  1899  manual  training  was  introduced  into 
the  schools  of  Columbus,  Georgia.  Two  gradu- 
ates of  Pratt  Institute  were  engaged  to  take 
charge  of  the  work  in  the  white  schools,  and 
two  graduates  of  Tuskegee  to  teach  it  in  the  col- 
ored schools.  The  work  has  been  remarkably 
successful.  The  branches  taught  are  sewing, 
cooking,  and  wood  working. 

It  has  been  impossible  for  me,  in  the  space  at 
my  disposal,  even  to  mention  all  of  the  schools 
which  have  come  into  existence  as  a  result  of 
Tuskegee.  I  have  tried  merely  to  give  some 
idea  of  the  work  they  are  doing,  and  to  show 
over  how  wide  an  extent  the  influence  of  the  In- 
stitute already  extends. 

I  have  had  an  excellent  opportunity  to  observe 
the  beginning  and  development  of  such  schools 
as  these  during  the  years  in  which  I  have  been 
going  to  Tuskegee,  since  Mrs.  Booker  Washing- 
ton has  been  conducting  what  she  calls  mission- 
ary work  on  a  plantation  about  eight  miles  from 
the  Institute,  which  has  resulted  in  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  flourishing  school  there. 

The  first  year  I  was  at  Tuskegee  I  told  Mr. 
Washington  that  I  wished  I  might  have  an  op- 
portunity to  study  the  country  people  in  their 
homes  in  some  place  where  they  were  living  un- 
der typically  unfavorable  circumstances,  in  order 
that  I  might  have  a  fair  chance  to  see  just  what 
material  such  a  school  as  Tuskegee  must  plan  to 


152  Tuskegee 

deal  with.  Mr.  Washington  told  me  that  I  could 
see  just  such  conditions  as  these  without  going 
more  than  eight  or  ten  miles  from  the  school, 
and  said  that  he  would  have  me  driven  out  to  such 
a  place.  A  few  days  later,  with  Mr.  C.  W.  Greene 
for  a  guide  and  driver,  I  made  the  first  of  these 
visits.  Mr.  Greene's  long  residence  at  Tuske- 
gee, and  his  wide  experience  in  all  the  details  of 
southern  country  life,  have  made  it  possible  in  the 
course  of  these  drives  for  me  to  get  a  better  in- 
sight into  Negro  life  on  the  plantations  than  it 
would  have  been  possible  for  any  one  to  do  un- 
der almost  any  other  circumstances. 

The  plantation  which  we  visited  first  is  nearly 
eight  miles  from  the  Institute.  In  the  course  of 
this  drive  of  about  fifteen  miles,  after  we  had 
left  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  town,  we  saw 
only  two  houses  in  which  white  persons  lived, 
except  the  one  on  the  plantation  which  was  our 
destination.  This  plantation  comprises  fourteen 
hundred  acres  of  tillage  land,  nearly  one  thou- 
sand of  which  are  put  into  cotton  each  year.  At 
the  time  of  my  first  visit  to  this  place  there  were 
about  thirty  families  of  Negroes  living  there ;  — 
the  number  is  somewhat  less  now.  The  men, 
and  almost  all  of  the  women,  worked  on  the 
land. 

The  plantation  house  was  broad  and  low.  It 
stood  at  the  head  of  a  long  avenue  bordered  by 
double  rows  of  magnificent  water  oaks,  their 
foliage  as  glossy  and  green  in  February  as  if  it 
had  been  midsummer.  Three  women  were 


IDA  M.    ABERCROMBIE, 
TEACHER. 


CORNELIA   BOWEN,    '85, 
PRINCIPAL   MT.    MEIGS  INST. 


MT.  MEIGS   COLORED    INDUSTRIAL     [NSTITUTE,   ESTABLISHED 
BY  MISS  CORNELIA  BOWEN. 


Tuskegee  153 

washing  clothes  in  the  open  air,  under  the  trees 
of  the  driveway.  They  were  heating  the  water 
in  iron  pots  set  on  stones,  between  which  fires 
were  built.  A  black  sow  and  her  litter  of  pigs, 
disturbed  from  their  slumbers  in  the  roadway  by 
our  approach,  took  refuge  under  a  house.  The 
owner  of  the  plantation  received  us  very  cour- 
teously, and  gave  us  permission  to  go  wherever 
we  wished. 

A  few  single  houses  for  the  hands,  built  near 
the  "big  house,"  were  of  frame  and  had  one 
window  each,  but  these  were  so  old  and  in  such 
poor  repair  that  the  roof  hardly  shed  water. 
The  greater  number  of  the  families  lived  far 
down  on  the  plantation.  We  drove  out  to  their 
quarters  between  hundreds  of  acres  of  cotton 
fields  where  the  strippings  of  the  last  year's 
crop  still  fluttered  on  the  weather-beaten  stalks. 
We  forded  three  sloughs,  in  which,  as  well  as  in 
the  clay  mud  of  the  roads  over  which  we  had 
driven  earlier  in  the  day,  our  carriage  and  the 
harnesses  on  our  horses  successfully  sustained 
tests  which  spoke  well  for  the  work  of  the 
wheelwright  shop  and  the  harness  shop  at  the 
Institute. 

We  found  the  people,  almost  without  exception, 
living  in  cabins  of  one  room  each,  about  twelve 
to  sixteen  feet  square,  usually  with  no  window, 
the  lack  of  which  did  not  matter  so  much,  since 
both  light  and  air  generally  were  able  to  pass 
freely  through  the  cracks  in  the  walls.  In  each 
of  these  one-room  houses  would  be  living  from 


54          Tuskegee 


six  to  ten  persons,  often  comprising  two  fami- 
lies. There  was  no  school  nearer  than  Tuske- 
gee. As  a  result,  there  were  found  to  be  very 
few  individuals  from  out  the  whole  thirty  fami- 
lies who  could  read  even  simple  print.  There 
was  a  little  old  church  between  the  plantation 
and  Tuskegee,  in  which  there  were  at  times  ser- 
vices to  which  the  people  might  have  gone  by 
walking  four  miles  each  way. 

These  were  the  conditions  on  this  plantation 
when  Mrs.  Washington  decided  to  try  to  do 
some  missionary  work  there.  Her  first  step  was 
to  send  and  ask  permission  of  the  owner  of  the 
place.  His  answer,  as  I  have  heard  her  tell  of 
it,  was  this  :  "  He  just  put  a  colored  man  on  a 
mule,  with  a  big,  fat  turkey,  and  sent  him  right 
back  to  give  me  the  turkey  and  tell  me  that  I 
could  come  down  and  do  anything  I  wanted  to." 
This  encouraging  reception  was  followed  by  other 
help  later  on.  After  a  school  was  started  the  use 
of  a  cabin  was  given  for  it,  and  land  was  set  aside 
for  the  teacher's  garden.  Both  the  planter  and 
his  wife  assisted  the  undertaking  in  many  ways. 

Mrs.  Washington's  missionary  work  is  apt  to 
be  conducted  on  the  principle  that  cleanliness  is 
not  only  next  to  godliness,  but  in  front  of  it. 
She  selected  what  seemed  to  her  to  be  the  most 
promising-looking  house  in  the  settlement  and 
asked  the  woman  who  lived  in  it  if  she  could  in- 
vite some  of  the  people  on  the  plantation  to  come 
to  her  house  to  a  meeting.  The  permission  was 
readily  given.  The  next  Sunday  was  selected 


Tuskegee  155 

for  the  day,  and  word  was  to  be  sent  over  the 
place  by  a  boy.  On  the  appointed  day  Mrs. 
Washington,  with  two  of  the  teachers  from  the 
Institute,  came  to  the  plantation  in  good  season, 
bringing  with  them,  along  with  books  and  pa- 
pers which  missionaries  might  be  expected  to 
bring,  a  good,  stiff,  new  broom.  Since  Mrs. 
Washington  had  asked  to  be  allowed  to  use  the 
house,  it  was  easy  for  her  to  suggest  that  she 
be  allowed  to  help  make  some  special  prepara- 
tions. She  made  the  woman  a  present  of  the 
broom,  and  then  proposed  that  each  sweep  a  half 
of  the  house,  the  woman  beginning.  This  was 
done,  but  before  Mrs.  Washington  had  nearly 
completed  her  own  share,  digging  the  mud 
chinking  out  of  corners  and  dealing  thoroughly 
with  all  the  dirt,  the  woman,  who  had  been 
watching  her,  was  saying,  "  Oh,  Mis'  Washin'- 
ton,  you  jes'  lemme  take  dat  broom  agin,  so  Ah 
can  do  mah  half  ovah."  The  first  lesson  had 
been  learned. 

The  first  meetings  were  little  more  than 
friendly  visits,  with  some  songs  and,  before  the 
visitors  came  away,  a  prayer.  Pictures,  music, 
and  talks  with  the  women  and  children  paved  the 
way  to  propose  a  school.  Mrs.  Washington  tells 
of  one  incident  connected  with  the  beginning 
of  this  school  :  "  We  carried  down  some  prim- 
ers and  easy  reading  books.  Quite  a  number  of 
men  and  women  and  children  came  to  the  house 
where  the  week  before  I  had  told  them  the 
meeting  would  be  held,  and  if  they  did  n't  seem 


156 


T  u  s  k  e  g  e 


particularly  interested,  were  at  least  pleasant. 
This  was  true  of  all  but  one  young  man  who 
stood  outside  the  house  all  of  the  time  and 
would  n't  come  in,  although  he  was  asked  to  sev- 
eral times.  He  seemed  to  me  to  look  sullen, 
and  I  was  really  afraid  of  him,  and  said  to  my- 
self, '  I  don't  believe  it's  any  use  trying  to  do 
anything  with  him.'  But,  finally,  after  I  had 
been  around  to  all  the  rest  and  had  asked  them 
if  they  did  not  want  to  come  to  a  school,  or  send 
their  children,  I  plucked  up  courage  to  go  and 
speak  to  him,  because  I  was  determined  I 
would  n't  let  him  say  he  had  not  been  asked. 

"  So  I  went  out  of  doors  and  said  to  him, 
'  Would  n't  you  like  to  come  to  school  ? '  He 
did  n't  answer  for  a  minute,  and  when  I  looked 
up  to  see  the  reason  there  were  great  tears  roll- 
ing down  his  cheeks. 

"  «  Oh,  Mis'  Washin'ton,'  he  said,  « Ah  'm  so 
'shamed,  but  Ah  don'  even  know  mah  letters. 
Ah  wants  ter  learn  ter  read,  evah  so  much, 
though,  an'  if  you  '11  only  jes'  lemme  take  a 
book  Ah  '11  go  off  down  in  de  woods  an'  learn 
mah  letters  there.' 

"  That  taught  me,"  said  Mrs.  Washington, 
"  never  to  be  downhearted  again  about  the  work. 
What  a  pity  it  would  have  been  if  I  had  not 
spoken  to  him,  for  he  has  learned  to  read  quite 
well  —  the  last  time  I  was  down  there  he  had 
got  up  to  the  third  reader,  and  of  course  he 
doesn't  have  much  chance,  as  he  works  days  on 
the  plantation." 


luskegee  157 

This  was  the  beginning.  Before  many  months 
it  was  possible  to  open  a  regular  school.  The 
owner  of  the  place,  as  I  have  said,  gave  the  use 
of  an  abandoned  cabin  ;  and  a  young  woman,  a 
graduate  of  the  Institute  who  had  had  some  ex- 
perience in  teaching,  moved  in  with  bed,  broom, 
mop,  table,  dishes,  coffeepot  and  teakettle,  for 
the  little  one-room  cabin  must  be  not  only  the 
school  house  but  also  the  teacher's  home.  This 
teacher,  Miss  Annie  Davis,  is  a  young  woman 
whose  education  and  refinement  would  entitle 
her  to  a  welcome  in  any  society.  It  is  hard  to 
fully  realize  what  it  must  have  meant  to  her  to 
leave  home,  friends,  and  all  the  associations 
which  had  made  life  pleasant,  and  take  up  this 
work.  It  could  not  have  been  for  money  that 
she  went,  for  she  was  to  be  paid  only  ten  dollars 
a  month,  and  even  this  small  amount  Mrs. 
Washington  had  to  secure  as  best  she  could 
from  such  friends  as  she  could  interest  in  the 
work. 

Some  of  the  teachers  at  the  Institute  volun- 
tarily became  responsible  out  of  their  own  none 
too  large  salaries  for  the  money  necessary  to 
provide  the  teacher  with  food,  but  after  a  few 
months  they  were  relieved  from  this  tax.  The 
people  on  the  plantation  who  were  receiving  the 
benefit  of  the  newly  established  school  were  en- 
couraged to  do  all  they  could  to  help  sustain  it. 
They  could  do  this  most  easily  by  making  con- 
tributions of  food,  fuel,  and  work  ;  and  such 
assistance  began  to  be  given.  One  little  girl 


158  Tuskege 


would  bring  "  teacher  "  two  eggs  when  she  came 
to  school ;  another  brought  half  a  chicken ; 
another  a  "  mess  of  greens."  A  father  would 
draw  a  load  of  wood,  and  another  father  would 
cut  the  wood  into  fireplace  length.  When  one 
of  these  men  went  hunting  and  had  good  luck, 
"teacher"  quite  likely  got  a  'possum.  A  record 
book  of  all  these  contributions  is  kept  and  the 
record  is  read  aloud  once  a  month  by  Mrs. 
Washington  when  she  happens  to  be  at  the 
school.  In  the  list  I  have  given  above  I  have 
only  quoted  verbatim  from  this  record  book. 
For  a  long  time  the  teacher  has  been  supplied 
with  food  in  this  way. 

As  is  the  case  at  the  Institute,  the  teaching 
from  books  at  such  a  school  as  this  is  only  a  part 
of  the  instruction.  The  girls  learn  to  make  the 
teacher's  bed,  to  sweep  and  wash  the  floor,  to 
wash  dishes,  sew  and  mend.  The  boys  cut 
wood,  sweep  the  yard  clean,  raise  chickens,  and, 
in  a  little  patch  of  ground  which  has  been  fenced 
in,  cultivate  a  garden.  The  children  come  to 
school  in  the  day  time  ;  their  fathers  and  mothers 
in  the  evening.  The  women  learn  to  read,  but 
they  also  learn  to  wash  and  iron  and  cook  and 
sew. 

When  I  last  visited  the  plantation  the  school 
had  been  in  operation  between  two  and  three 
years.  An  improvement  in  the  general  atmos- 
phere of  the  place  was  manifest.  A  rude  but 
serviceable  little  church  had  been  built  and  the 
attendance  of  a  minister  once  a  month  secured. 


MRS.    BOOKER  T.    WASHINGTON. 


luskegee  159 

A  Sunday  school  was  held  each  week.  I  visited 
the  plantation  on  Sunday.  There  were  over 
thirty  persons  at  the  Sunday  school  that  day. 
They  were  neatly  dressed,  attentive,  interested, 
and  thoroughly  devoted  to  their  teacher,  who 
certainly  may  have  the  reward  of  knowing  that 
her  work  is  successful  and  appreciated.  She 
had  at  that  time  over  fifty  scholars,  and  more 
would  have  come  if  there  had  been  room.  Al- 
ready the  fame  of  the  school  had  spread  out  into 
the  surrounding  country  so  that  scholars  from  as 
far  as  ten  miles  away  were  asking  to  be  allowed 
to  come,  finding  some  place  to  work  near  or 
some  way  in  which  they  could  board  themselves. 
Since  then  Mrs.  Washington  has  bought  ten 
acres  of  land  adjoining  this  plantation,  and  had 
a  good  double  house  built  on  it,  into  which  the 
school  has  been  moved.  Its  present  accommo- 
dations will  allow  of  a  broadening  of  the  work, 
especially  along  industrial  lines. 

The  true  magnitude  of  the  task  which  is  to  be 
accomplished  and  the  conditions  which  are  to  be 
met  in  beginning  such  a  work  as  this  perhaps 
may  be  understood  best  if  I  relate  one  incident 
which  has  occurred  on  this  very  plantation,  an 
incident  not  at  all  unusual  in  such  work. 

In  the  course  of  the  development  of  the  school 
Mrs.  Washington  proposed  that  there  be  ap- 
pointed to  the  position  of  school  committee  a 
man  whose  general  manner  and  the  appearance 
of  whose  home  had  attracted  her  favorable  atten- 
tion. A  woman  who  perhaps  was  interested  in 


160  Tuskege 


a  rival  candidate  came  to  her  and  complained 
that  this  man  was  not  a  proper  man  for  the 
office  ;  he  and  his  wife  had  never  been  married, 
she  said,  although  they  had  lived  together  for 
several  years,  and  had  three  children.  Un- 
fortunately this  condition  of  affairs  is  possible  in 
some  parts  of  the  South  and  sometimes  may  not 
excite  comment  unless  for  some  special  reason, 
as  in  this  case.  Mrs.  Washington  went  directly 
to  the  man  and  his  wife,  and  from  them  learned 
that  the  charge  was  true.  These  people  had 
been  among  her  strongest  helpers,  and  greatly 
interested  in  having  their  children  go  to  school. 
She  said  to  them,  "  You  must  be  married  at 
once  ;  not  only  because  it  is  right,  and  for  the 
sake  of  the  example  on  the  rest  of  the  people  in 
the  community,  but  for  the  sake  of  your  influence 
in  the  school.  The  success  or  failure  of  the 
work  here  may  depend  upon  it."  Ultimately  this 
proved  the  strongest  argument,  and  probably  the 
one  which  was  effectual ;  for  the  father  and 
mother  were  honestly  devoted  to  their  children's 
welfare.  At  first,  though,  they  made  many  ob- 
jections ;  they  had  no  money  for  license  and 
minister,  which  was  probably  true.  Mrs.  Wash- 
ington promptly  offered  to  furnish  both.  "  Come 
to  my  house  to-morrow,"  she  said,  "and  be 
married."  They  protested  that  they  had  no 
suitable  clothes ;  which  was  quite  true  again. 
She  agreed  to  have  clothes  ready  for  both. 
They  said  let  them  wait  until  the  next  Sunday, 
and  they  could  come.  She  was  inflexible.  It 


Tuskegee  161 


must  be  the  next  day  morning.  Then  probably 
the  real  hardest  reason  was  brought  out  —  the 
shame  of  the  public  acknowledgment.  Here  it 
was  that  the  children  and  the  school  triumphed. 
The  parents  said  they  would  come. 

"  I  went  home,"  said  Mrs.  Washington,  "  in 
fear  and  trembling.  I  hardly  dared  hope  they 
would  come,  but  I  was  determined  to  be  ready 
in  case  they  did."  Before  nine  o'clock  .the  next 
morning  she  had  procured  a  license  and  a  minis- 
ter, and  had  had  a  suit  of  Mr.  Washington's 
clothes  made  ready  to  give  to  the  man.  She 
had  enlisted  the  interest  of  the  wives  of  some  of 
the  faculty,  and  from  various  sources  suitable 
clothes  for  the  woman  were  provided.  At  nine 
o'clock  the  man  and  woman  came,  eight  miles, 
and  were  married  in  Mrs.  Washington's  parlor  ; 
to  which  sponge  cake  and  lemonade  and  a  few 
hastily  improvised  presents,  useful  household 
articles,  gave  quite  a  wedding  appearance.  I 
am  glad  to  be  able  to  say  that  I  have  seen  this 
man  and  his  wife  since,  in  their  home,  and  have 
shaken  hands  with  them.  I  think  they  are  hon- 
estly trying  to  make  the  most  possible  of  their 
lives  for  their  own  sake  and  the  sake  of  their 
children.  It  seems  to  me  a  question  if  many 
persons  will  be  called  on  to  fight,  and  if  they  are 
so  called  will  win,  a  harder  fight  than  did  this 
man  and  woman. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

I  HAVE  referred  in  previous  chapters  to  some 
of  the  ways  in  which  the  influence  of  Tuskegee 
is  being  extended  through  the  teachings  and 
example  of  its  students ;  and  worthily,  too,  do 
they  sustain  the  reputation  of  their  Alma  Mater. 
In  addition  to  the  great  power  for  good  which  is 
exercised  in  this  way,  the  Institute  has  its  regu- 
larly organized  system  of  what  may  very  properly 
be  regarded  as  University  Extension  work.  The 
most  important  factor  in  this  system  is  the 
Negro  Conference  which  assembles  at  Tuskegee 
in  February  of  each  year.  I  quote  Mr.  Wash- 
ington's own  words  telling  why  and  how  he  came 
to  organize  this  institution  :  — 

"  Soon  after  the  Tuskegee  Normal  and  Indus- 
trial Institute  was  established  it  was  impressed 
upon  my  mind  that  much  good  might  be  accom- 
plished by  some  movement  which  would  interest 
the  older  people  and  inspire  them  to  work  for 
their  own  elevation.  I  think  I  first  came  to 
think  of  this  when  I  had  occasion  to  notice  re- 
peatedly the  unusual  amount  of  common  sense 
displayed  by  what  is  termed  the  ignorant  colored 
man  of  the  South.  In  my  opinion  the  unedu- 
cated black  man  in  the  South,  especially  the  one 
living  in  the  country  districts,  has  more  natural 
sense  than  the  uneducated  ignorant  class  of 
almost  any  other  race.  This  led  me  to  the  con- 


Tuskegee  163 


elusion  that  any  people  who  could  see  so  clearly 
into  their  own  condition  and  describe  their  own 
condition  so  vividly  as  can  the  common  farming 
class  of  colored  people  in  the  South,  could  be  led 
to  do  a  great  deal  towards  their  own  elevation. 
This  caused  me  to  call  the  first  session  of  what 
is  now  known  as  the  Tuskegee  Negro  Conference. 

At  first  I  sent  invitations  to  about  seventy- 
five  farmers,  mechanics,  school  teachers,  and 
ministers  to  come  and  spend  a  day  at  Tuskegee, 
talking  over  their  condition  and  needs.  I  was 
very  careful  to  tell  all  who  were  invited  to  come 
that  I  did  not  want  them  to  come  prepared  with 
any  address  or  cut-and-dried  speech.  I  very 
often  find  that  when  the  average  man  is  asked 
to  prepare  an  address,  too  much  time  is  spent  in 
giving  attention  to  rhetoric  and  too  little  sense 
is  put  into  the  address  ;  so  I  was  very  careful  to 
impress  upon  all  who  were  invited  that  we  wanted 
no  formal  address,  but  wanted  them  to  come  and 
talk  about  their  conditions  and  needs  very  much 
as  they  would  do  around  their  own  firesides. 

"  To  my  surprise  there  came  to  this  first  con- 
ference four  hundred  men  and  women  of  all 
grades  and  conditions.  The  bulk  of  the  people 
were  farmers  and  mechanics,  with  a  scattering 
of  teachers  and  ministers.  The  morning  of  the 
day  was  spent  in  having  told  in  a  plain  and  sim- 
ple manner  what  the  conditions  were  along  indus- 
trial lines.  We  had  each  delegate,  as  far  as  he 
could,  tell  the  number  of  men  in  his  community 
who  owned  their  farms,  the  number  who  rented 


164  Tuskege 


land,  the  number  who  lived  in  one-room  log 
cabins,  and  the  number  who  mortgaged  their 
crops.  We  also  had  them  tell  about  the  educa- 
tional conditions  in  their  communities.  We  gave 
attention  to  the  moral  and  religious  life  of  the 
community,  and  had  them  tell  what  kind  of  a 
minister  they  had. 

"  From  the  very  first  we  have  been  surprised 
at  the  frankness  and  directness  of  these  reports. 
In  the  afternoon  we  heard  from  these  same 
people  what,  in  their  opinion,  would  bring  about 
remedies  for  the  evils  which  they  had  described. 
It  was  very  encouraging  to  see  how  clearly  the 
people  saw  into  their  own  condition,  and  how 
often  they  were  able  to  suggest  the  needed 
remedies.  If  was  found  that  in  what  is  known 
as  the  '  Black  Belt '  of  the  South  at  least  four- 
fifths  of  the  Negro  people  in  many  counties  were 
living  in  one-room  cabins,  on  rented  land,  were 
mortgaging  their  crops  for  food  on  which  to  live, 
and  were  paying  a  rate  of  interest  on  those  mort- 
gages which  ranges  from  fifteen  to  forty  per 
cent  per  annum.  The  schools,  in  most  cases, 
extended  but  three  months,  and  were  taught,  as 
a  rule,  in  the  churches,  in  broken  down  log 
cabins,  or  in  a  brush  arbor." 

The  first  conference  adopted  the  following  set 
of  resolutions,  and  each  succeeding  year  a  set 
similar  to  these  has  been  made  a  basis  for  the 
discussions,  such  new  matters  being  considered 
from  year  to  year  as  may  have  come  up  to  at- 
tract attention. 


Tuskegee  165 


"  i.  The  seriousness  of  our  condition  lies  in 
that,  in  the  states  where  the  colored  people  are 
most  numerous,  at  least  ninety  per  cent  of  them 
are  in  the  country ;  they  are  difficult  to  reach, 
and  but  little  is  being  done  for  them.  Their 
industrial,  educational,  and  moral  condition  is 
slowly  improving,  but  among  the  masses  there 
is  still  a  great  amount  of  poverty  and  ignorance, 
and  much  need  of  moral  and  religious  training. 

"2.  We  urge  all  to  buy  land  and  to  cultivate 
it  thoroughly  ;  to  raise  more  food  supplies ;  to 
build  houses  with  more  than  one  room  ;  to  tax 
themselves  to  build  better  school-houses,  and  to 
extend  the  school  year  to  at  least  six  months ;  to 
give  more  attention  to  the  character  of  our 
leaders,  especially  ministers  and  teachers ;  to 
keep  out  of  debt ;  to  avoid  lawsuits  ;  to  treat  our 
women  better  ;  and  that  conferences  similar  in 
aim  to  this  one  be  held  in  every  community 
wherever  practicable. 

"  3.  More  can  be  accomplished  by  going  for- 
ward than  by  complaining.  With  all  our  advan- 
tages, nowhere  is  there  afforded  us  such  business 
opportunities  as  are  afforded  in  the  South.  We 
would  discourage  the  emigration  agent.  Self- 
respect  will  bring  us  many  rights  now  denied  us. 
Crime  among  us  decreases  as  property  increases." 

The  second  conference  was  attended  by  about 
eight  hundred  persons,  representing  every  section 
of  the  South.  The  attendance  has  increased 
each  year.  One  of  the  most  interesting  features 
is  when  the  people  are  given  an  opportunity  to 


1 66  Tuskegee 

tell  how  these  conferences  have  been  beneficial 
to  the  masses.  For  instance,  at  the  last  session 
one  man  said  that  where  in  his  community 
before  these  conferences  were  begun  only  two 
persons  owned  land,  now  there  are  fourteen  who 
do  so ;  few  live  in  one-room  cabins  and  few  mort- 
gage their  crops ;  they  had  not  only  built  a 
school  house  but  had  extended  the  school  year 
from  three  to  six  months.  It  is  a  common 
thing  to  hear  these  men  report  that  the  com- 
munity has  long  since  got  to  a  point  where  no 
man  who  is  not  morally  upright  can  be  a  teacher 
or  a  preacher  in  it. 

The  first  sessions  of  the  conference  were  held 
in  the  assembly  room  in  Porter  Hall,  but  they 
soon  outgrew  the  accommodations  there.  When 
I  first  began  to  attend  the  conferences  the  dele- 
gates gathered  in  the  rude  temporary  building 
which  then  served  for  a  chapel.  Imagine  a 
broad,  low  building,  walled  and  roofed  with  un- 
planed  boards,  its  floor  the  ground,  and  the  only 
seats  in  it  made  by  spiking  planks  on  to  posts 
driven  into  the  earth.  From  the  rafters  hang 
long  steamers  of  Spanish  moss,  and  the  walls  are 
trimmed  with  Union  flags  looped  back  with 
spiked  palmetto  leaves.  Every  inch  of  space  in 
the  building  is  occupied  by  the  delegates  and 
their  wives,  and  late  comers  who  cannot  get  in 
cluster  around  the  open  windows  and  doors  like 
bees  around  the  mouth  of  a  hive. 

The  majority  of  these  men  and  women  were 
slaves.  They  see  their  sons  and  daughters 


A    QUARTETTE   OF    ''SISTERS. 


CONFERENCE   DELEGATES. 


Tuskegee  167 

learning  many  things  which  for  their  own  gene- 
ration were  impossible.  They  ask,  "  Is  there  no 
chance  for  us?"  The  Negro  Conference  is 
Tuskegee's  attempt  to  answer  their  appeal. 
"  O  Lord,  we  want  to  thank  thee  for  this,  our 
one  day  of  schooling  in  the  whole  year,"  was  the 
first  sentence  of  the  prayer  with  which  I  heard 
a  grizzled  Negro  preacher  open  one  year's  session. 

I  turn  to  my  note  books  again  for  illustrations  : 
Father  Mitchell,  a  regular  attendant  since  the 
meetings  were  organized,  discoursed  on  the  ex- 
travagance of  the  race.  "  We's  been  eatin'  too 
much  terbaccer  an  snuff,"  he  said.  "  We's  been 
puttin'  the  bridle  into  our  own  mouths."  At  the 
same  time  Father  Mitchell  is  not  parsimoni- 
ous. It  is  one  of  the  proudest  boasts  of  this 
man  that  he  raises  a  good  fat  hog  every  year  to 
give  toward  the  support  of  Tuskegee. 

Many  of  the  speakers  are  hampered  by  the 
lack  of  words  to  express  all  that  they  would  say, 
they  are  so  tremendously  in  earnest.  One  man 
raised  an  indignant  chorus  of  "  You  don't  done 
mean  dat,"  when  he  said,  "  The  people  ought  to 
practice  more  intemperance."  "  Dat's  what  Miss 
Porter  (a  favorite  teacher)  said,"  he  persisted, 
in  response  to  the  cries  of  expostulation,  at 
which  Miss  Porter  felt  called  upon  to  rise,  evi- 
dently very  much  embarrassed,  to  say,  "  O  Mr. 
Harris,  I  never  said  that.  I  said  '  temperance.'  " 
To  which  the  farmer  replied,  nothing  daunted, 
"  Well,  they  all  knows  what  I  means."  This 
man's  logic  was  all  right,  if  his  diction  was  shaky, 


168  Tuskegee 


for  when  some  one  asserted  that  the  colored 
people  had  to  pay  so  much  money  for  taxes  that 
they  were  impoverished,  he  retorted,  "  It  aint  for 
taxes  de  money  goes.  What  dey  pays  for  taxes 
is  like  dis  "-  —  measuring  off  on  a  five-foot  stick 
which  he  had  with  him  a-  portion  about  five 
inches  long  ; — "  but  what  dey  pays  for  int'rest  is 
like  dis  " —  holding  up  the  stick  so  that  its  whole 
length  of  five  feet  was  to  be  seen. 

One  other  man  was  so  diffident  about  telling 
his  story  that  Mr.  Washington  finally  helped 
him  out  by  saying  :  "  What  Mr.  Ligon  means  is 
that  after  he  had  made  up  his  mind  to  get  a 
start  for  himself,  when  he  was  too  poor  at  first 
to  own  even  a  mule,  he  used  to  go  out  moon- 
shiny  nights,  when  the  neighbors  would  not  see 
him,  and  plow  with  the  boy  hitched  up  to  draw 
the  plow."  This  recital  elicited  a  round  of  ap- 
plause, but  when  this  had  quieted  down  the  man 
himself  was  seen  to  have  risen  to  his  feet  again, 
and  he  was  heard  to  exclaim,  "  O  Mr.  Wash- 
in'ton,  Ah  didn'  say  dat.  Ah  never  say  Ah  plow 
de  boy.  Ah  say  Ah  put  on  de  harness  an'  he 
plow  me."  This  distinction  being  satisfactorily 
established  Mr.  Washington  went  on  to  explain 
that  the  important  fact  which  he  wanted  to  bring 
out  was  that  the  course  which  this  man  had 
followed  had  made  him  the  owner  of  a  good  farm, 
of  stock  in  one  of  the  Tuskegee  banks,  and  of 
various  other  property. 

Since  the  completion  of  the  new  chapel  the 
sessions  of  the  conference  have  been  held  in  that 


Tuskegee  169 

building.  There  is  a  steady,  healthy  increase  in 
attendance  and  interest,  which  shows  that  the  in- 
stitution has  taken  hold  on  the  people  in  such  a 
way  as  to  give  it  a  permanent  influence  for  good. 
Although,  as  would  be  expected,  a  majority  of 
the  delegates  are  from  Alabama,  every  one  of 
the  southern  states  usually  is  represented. 

The  practical  nature  of  the  teaching  of  these 
gatherings  can  be  seen  from  the  following  list 
of  admonitions  printed  on  a  slip  of  paper  which 
was  given  to  each  person  entering  the  church  to 
attend  the  sessions  of  the  Conference  for  1900  : 

THINGS  TO  REMEMBER  AND  PRACTICE  DUR- 
ING   1900. 

1 .  Do  not  be  deceived  by  emigration  agents. 

2 .  See  that  you  treat  your  wife  better  than 
you  did  last  year. 

3 .  If  you  have  an  immoral  minister  or  teach- 
er, get  rid  of  him. 

4.  Give  the  lessons  learned  in  these  confer- 
ences to  your  neighbor. 

5.  Own  a  home  just  as  soon  as  possible. 
Begin  buying  one  this  year. 

6.  Keep    out     of    lawsuits.     Do    not     lie 
around  town  on  Saturdays. 

7.  Do  not  plant  too  much  cotton,  but  more 
corn,  peas,    sugar  cane,    sweet  potatoes,    etc.  ; 
raise  hogs,  cows,  chickens,  etc. 

8.  It  is  wrong  to  keep  your  family  in  a  house 
with  but   one  room  ;  have   at  least   two  rooms 
—  three  are  better. 


170  Tuskegee 


9.     Pay  off  the  old  debt  as  soon  as  possible, 
and  do  not  make  another. 

10.  A  three-months  school  amounts   to  but 
little ;   extend  the  term  to  at  least  six  months, 
by  each  one  taxing  himself. 

11.  Don't  waste  money  on  excursions,  whis- 
key, cheap  jewelry,  and  other  things  that  can 
be  done  without. 

12.  Do  not  mortgage  your  crop  ;  if  you  have 
done  so,  go  in  other  debt  as  little  as  possible. 

13.  Do  not  stand  still  and  complain,  but  go 
forward  —  mere  fault-finders   accomplish  little. 

Another  slip,  printed,  like  the  first,  in  the  In- 
stitute's printing  office,  was  given  at  the  same 
time  to  the  women  who  were  present.  It 
read :  — 

THINGS  FOR  WOMEN  TO  REMEMBER  AND 
PRACTICE. 

1 .  More  is  gained  by  going  forward  than  by 
standing  around  idling  and  complaining. 

2.  If  your  minister  or  teacher  is  immoral, 
use  your  influence  against  him  —  this  is  the  right 
thing. 

3.  Do  not  be  satisfied  with  a  one-room  cabin 

—  its  influence  is  bad. 

4.  Never  consent  to  your  husband's  going 
in  debt. 

5.  Harm  very  often  comes  from  allowing 
your  home  to  be  a  place  where  young  boys  and 
girls  congregate  on  Sundays  or  Saturday  nights 

—  discourage  Sunday  visiting. 


luskegee  171 

6.  Do  not  spend  your  money  for  bright  col- 
ored ribbons,  brass  earrings,  breastpins  and  fin- 
ger rings  —  never  give  your  children  whiskey. 

7.  Court  houses,  public   auctions,  and   the 
like  are  places  where  women  should  never  be  seen 
except  when  absolutely  compelled  by  the  law. 

8.  Visit  the  school,  become  acquainted  with 
the  teacher,  and  thus  learn  for  yourself  whether 
he  or  she  is  a  fit  one.     Do  not  encourage  your 
children  to  tattle  about  the  teacher. 

9.  Make  no  demand  upon  your  husband  that 
will  interfere  with  his  buying  a  home. 

10.  Do  not  allow  any  one  to  be  more  inter- 
ested in  the  education  of  your  children  than  you 
yourself  are.     Make  every  effort  to  extend  your 
school  term. 

1 1 .  Do  not  expect  your  husband  to  be  mindful 
of  your  comforts  if  you  neglect  his.     It  is  a  part 
of  your  duty  to  see  that  things  are  comfortable 
around  the  house. 

1.2.  Let  there  be  such  close  confidence  be- 
tween husband  and  wife  that  one  will  not  enter 
into  any  compact  with  a  third  party  without  the 
consent  of  the  other. 

13.  Let  every  father  and  mother  study  the 
individual    character  of  their  children  and  deal 
with   them  accordingly.     Make  whipping    your 
last  resort  —  never  strike  children  on  the  head. 

14.  No  one  is  too  old  to  learn  ;  do  not  be  con- 
tent to  better  your  own  condition  and  stop  there. 
Help  your  neighbors  by  teaching  them  what  you 
have  learned  at  these  conferences. 


1 72  Tuskegee 


The  Negro  women  take  just  as  much  interest 
in  the  conferences  as  the  men,  and  frequently 
are  among  the  most  entertaining  speakers.  One 
woman,  when  the  conference  was  discuss- 
ing the  evils  of  one-room  log  cabins,  got  up 
and  said  :  "  I  was  a  widow.  I  had  two  children 
and  John  had  five.  I  married  him  and  that 
made  seven.  He  had  only  one  room  to  his 
house.  I  told  him  he  had  got  to  get  more,  and 
he  got  them.  I  have  one  room  'specially  for  cook- 
ing, 'cause  I  don't  propose  to  have  everybody  see 
what  I  cooks.  I  have  learned  a  heap  here  at 
this  meeting  to-day.  Let  sardines  and  snuff 
and  candy  and  red  ribbons  alone.  Get  your  man 
to  buy  land,  just  one  acre  at  a  time,  if  he  can't 
get  any  more  than  that,  and  then  work  it.  Some 
of  you  men  jest  want  to  put  us  women  in  the 
white  folks'  kitchens  to  work  and  feed  you, 
while  you  walk  up  and  down  the  road." 

The  Conference  of  1 900  adopted  the  following 
set  of  declarations  :  — 

i .  More  and  more,  as  a  race,  we  feel  that 
we  are  to  work  out  our  destiny  through  the  slow 
and  often  trying  processes  of  natural  growth  rather 
than  by  any  easy,  sudden,  or  superficial  method ; 
and  while  we  are  trying  to  make  ourselves  worthy 
citizens  we  ask  the  patience  and  good  will, 
and  appeal  to  the  sense  of  justice,  of  our  white 
friends. 

2.  We  desire  to  reaffirm  what  we  have  advised 
in  previous  years,  that,  while  not  overlooking 
our  rights  as  citizens,  it  should  still  be  our  main 


Tuskegee  173 

concern  to  use  our  energy  in  continuing  to  secure 
homes,  better  schools,  a  higher  degree  of  skill, 
and  Christian  character,  and  in  the  practice  of 
industry  and  economy. 

3 .  We  believe  the  race  is  making  slow  but 
sure  progress,  and  we  are  glad  to  note  the  grow- 
ing interest  of  the  best  Southern  white  people 
in  our  elevation,  as  shown  by  the  various  con- 
ferences, held  by  them,  for  the  discussion  of  the 
race  problem. 

4.  We  would  call  attention  to  the  fact  that 
our  people  charged  with  crime,  and  in  Southern 
prisons,  have,  as  a  rule,  little  or  no  education,  and 
are  largely  without  industrial  and  moral  training. 

5 .  We  believe  that  the  openings  in  the  South 
for   employment,  especially  in  the  direction   of 
skilled  labor,  were  never  greater  than  now. 

6.  We  urge  all  to  become  tax-payers  and  to 
promptly  pay  their  taxes,  to   keep  out    of  the 
courts,  to  cease  loafing  on  the  streets  and  in  pub- 
lic places  ;  and  to  prepare  to  do  well  the  work 
which  the  best  interests  of  the  community  de- 
mand. 

These  declarations  should  be  tacked  up  in 
your  house  that  they  may  be  referred  to  during 
the  year. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

ON  the  day  following  what  is  known  as  the 
Negro  Conference  there  is  held  what  is  called 
the  Workers'  Conference,  composed  of  white 
and  colored  teachers  in  educational  institutions 
for  Negroes  in  the  South,  and  of  professional 
and  business  men  of  both  races.  This  supple- 
mentary conference  was  established  because 
many  lessons  can  be  learned  from  the  Negro 
Conference  which  ought  to  be  discussed  and  put 
into  practice  by  teachers  in  colored  schools  and 
by  workers  in  other  fields.  A  considerable  num- 
ber of  northern  men  and  women  interested  in 
educational  work  also  attend  the  conference  each 
year  for  the  sake  of  the  valuable  information 
which  can  be  obtained  there.  The  success  of 
the  Tuskegee  Negro  Conference  has  led  to  the 
establishment  of  similar  organizations  in  other 
Southern  states.  The  influence  for  good  of 
such  gatherings  is  very  manifest,  especially  to 
one  who  has  attended  them. 

The  teachings  of  the  conference  are  dissem- 
inated widely  by  the  hundreds  of  men  and 
women  who  attend  the  sessions,  but  their  volun- 
tary service  is  not  the  only  agency  depended 
upon  to  strengthen  the  influence  of  the  meetings. 
One  member  of  the  Institute's  administrative 
force,  Mr.  T.  J.  Jackson,  devotes  his  whole  time 
to  advancing  the  interests  of  the  conference 


AN   OLD    "  UNCLE." 


FATHER   AND  SON. 


Tuskegee  175 

work.  In  a  great  many  of  the  towns  and 
counties  of  Alabama  the  Negroes  have  organized 
local  conferences  or  farmers'  clubs,  which  meet 
at  frequent  intervals  during  the  year  and  make 
annual  reports  to  the  central  organization  at 
Tuskegee.  In  1900  there  were  two  hundred 
and  fifty  of  these  in  existence.  Mr.  Jackson 
attends  the  meetings  of  these  local  societies  to 
encourage  and  advise  the  members,  and  organ- 
izes many  such  societies  in  places  where  the 
people  have  not  started  them  for  themselves. 
His  work  keeps  him  in  close  touch  with  the 
farmers.  He  is  able  to  see  to  what  extent  they 
are  putting  the  teachings  of  the  conference  into 
practice,  and  in  a  measure  to  decide  what  subjects 
are  most  needed  to  be  brought  up  for  discussion 
at  the  annual  gatherings. 

The  work  which  Mr.  Jackson  does  in  the  state 
of  Alabama  other  representatives  of  the  school 
do  so  far  as  they  can  in  other  states.  Quite 
often  some  of  the  teachers,  especially  the  men 
in  the  agricultural  department,  go  out  for  a  long 
distance  to  hold  special  meetings  of  this  kind. 
These  meetings,  which  are  thoroughly  advertised 
by  means  of  posters  printed  in  the  Institute's 
printing  office,  will  be  held  in  a  country  church 
or  school  house.  Frequently  a  graduate  of  the 
school,  or  a  student  who  has  gone  home  to  work, 
arranges  for  such  a  meeting  as  this  and  gets  the 
Institute  to  send  him  a  speaker  to  help  him  in 
starting  what  he  is  quite  apt  to  designate  as  "  a 
little  Tuskegee"  of  his  own.  The  Negro 


176  Tuskegee 


preachers  who  have  come  within  the  influence  of 
the  Institute's  teachings  are  a  great  help  in  this 
work,  too,  as  they  go  through  the  country.  The 
farmers  and  their  wives  come  to  the  place  of 
meeting  prepared  for  an  all  day's  session.  If 
the  meeting  is  the  first  which  has  been  held  in  a 
locality  the  plan  of  the  Negro  Conference  is  ex- 
plained. The  fundamental  principle  which  the 
speakers  seek  to  impress  is  the  value  of  owner- 
ship of  land.  The  people  are  shown  how  often 
they  can  buy  land  merely  with  the  money  which 
they  waste  in  foolish  expenditure  and  in  the  time 
which  they  lose  in  going  to  town  too  frequently. 
As  one  Negro  farmer  said,  "  Too  many  of  us 
have  two  Sundays  in  a  week,"  meaning  that  they 
are  too  apt  to  spend  Saturday  loafing  around  the 
towns.  They  are  shown  what  are  the  most  prof- 
itable crops  for  them  to  raise,  and  how  to  raise 
them.  If  a  man  from  the  agricultural  depart- 
ment is  going  out  to  hold  a  series  of  these  meet- 
ings, quite  often  he  carries  with  him  his  butter 
moulds  and  paddles  and  his  cheese  hoop.  The 
farmers'  wives  have  been  asked  beforehand  to 
bring  milk  and  cream  with  them  to  the  place  of 
meeting.  During  the  day  they  have  a  practical 
object  lesson  in  making  butter  and  in  the  begin- 
ning of  making  cheese.  They  are  taught  the 
advantage  of  raising  poultry,  eggs,  and  garden 
truck,  and  of  utilizing  the  fruits,  berries,  and  nuts 
with  which  the  forests  abound. 

I    give   a  few    illustrations   taken   from   Mr. 
Jackson's   note   books :     "  One  man  in  Ramer 


luskegee  177 

found  by  practicing  the  conference  methods  that 
he  changed  from  coming  out  $50  in  debt  one 
year  to  $60  surplus  the  next.  He  did  this 
mainly  by  buying  less,  and  buying  what  he  did 
find  necessary  to  purchase,  for  cash.  This  man 
had  never  supposed  he  could  get  along  without  a 
mortgage."  This  conference  at  Ramer  was 
organized  by  Mr.  Henry,  the  Tuskegee  graduate 
whom  I  have  already  spoken  of  as  teaching  at 
Ramer. 

"Another  man  at  Ramer  tried  an  experiment. 
He  had  always  been  in  the  habit  of  having  his 
wife  help  him  cultivate  the  land.  One  year  he 
planted  less  ground,  just  what  he  could  take  care 
of  himself,  and  had  his  wife  devote  her  time  to 
the  care  of  the  house  and  children,  to  raising 
poultry,  and  to  such  work  as  that.  He  kept  a 
careful  account  of  the  results  of  the  work  of  each 
year,  and  the  second  proved  so  much  the  more 
profitable  in  money  as  well  as  in  comfort  that  he 
ever  afterwards  followed  that  plan. 

"  Another  man  made  a  pledge  that  he  would 
own  a  piece  of  land  in  five  years  ;  he  had  never 
owned  anything  before  except  a  mortgage.  The 
first  two  years  he  got  out  of  debt  and  made 
enough  to  live  on  the  third  year.  That  year, 
being  free  to  move,  he  hired  a  piece  of  land,  on 
to  which  he  moved  his  family.  The  next  year 
he  would  make  enough  to  rent  a  patch  outright, 
and  on  that  he  would  make  enough  to  buy  the 
land  the  fifth  year." 

Frequently  land  can  be  bought  in  large  quanti- 


1 uskegee 

ties  when  it  cannot  in  small,  as  some  one  will 
have  a  large  plantation  which  he  wishes  to  dis- 
pose of  as  a  whole.  In  these  cases  the  Negroes 
sometimes  club  together  and  buy  the  whole  lot, 
dividing  it  up  as  suits  themselves.  A  regularly 
chartered  company  at  Mt.  Meigs  has  bought 
about  a  thousand  acres  in  this  way.  "  A  man 
by  the  name  of  Nickerson,  in  Russell  county, 
was  so  determined  to  move  that  he  sold  his  mule 
—  his  whole  capital  —  to  pay  his  debts.  He  leased 
a  large  plantation  for  four  years,  and  at  the  end 
of  the  fourth  year  made  the  first  payment  to- 
wards its  purchase.  He  had  done  this  by  hav- 
ing his  two  sons  and  a  brother  move  on  to  the 
place  with  him,  thus  making,  as  they  say  there, 
'four  plows'  to  work  with.  He  got  this  idea  at 
the  Tuskegee  Conference. 

"  In  one  place  the  women  organized  a  confer- 
ence because  the  men  of  the  community  did  not 
seem  to  be  much  interested.  They  signed  an 
agreement  not  to  wear  a  mortgaged  dress  or  to 
eat  mortgaged  food,  and  they  lived  up  to  the 
agreement.  They  realized  that  they  could  buy 
much  more  cheaply  in  large  quantities  and  so 
pooled  their  money,  each  paying  a  dollar  apiece, 
at  first.  With  this  they  bought  what  they  wished 
and  then  divided  the  goods  among  themselves." 
The  women  frequently  form  what  they  call  auxil- 
iary conferences,  pledging  themselves  to  raise  so 
many  hogs,  so  many  chickens,  and  so  many 
dozen  of  eggs  in  a  year. 

"  Rufus  H  err  on,  of  Camp  Hill,  Alabama,  has 


A  SNAP   SHOT   ON   THE   GROUNDS. 


ARGUING   THE   POINT. 


Tuskegee  179 

become  so  strong  a  convert  to  the  conference 
idea  that  he  offers  to  pay  the  expenses  of  any 
man  in  his  community,  who  cannot  otherwise 
afford  to  come,  who  will  attend  the  conferences. 
This  man  owns  a  plantation  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres."  Many  colored  men  now  own  much 
larger  plantations  than  this. 

Mr.  Washington  is  nothing  if  not  practical. 
His  ability  to  see  a  chance  to  do  good  is  equaled 
by  his  promptness  to  take  advantage  of  the  op- 
portunity. An  instance  of  this  is  to  be  found  in 
a  circular  letter  which  he  sent  out  to  the  Negro 
farmers  in  the  fall  of  1899,  Just  when  the  cotton 
crop  was  being  marketed.  The  names  and  ad- 
dresses of  all  of  the  delegates  who  come  to  the 
conferences  are  recorded,  and  the  names  of 
many  other  farmers  secured.  To  these  men  a 
copy  of  the  following  letter  was  sent :  — 

To  THE  COLORED  FARMERS  OF  THE  BLACK 
BELT  OF  THE  SOUTH. 

"  DEAR  SIR  :  —  We  feel  that  the  eight  annual 
sessions  of  the  Tuskegee  Negro  Conference  have 
done  much  good  throughout  the  South.  The 
masses  generally  have  made  improvement  in  get- 
ting rid  of  the  one-room  cabin,  in  buying  land, 
in  using  greater  economy,  in  paying  themselves 
out  of  debt,  and  in  living  up  to  the  resolution  to 
better  their  condition  along  moral  and  educa- 
tional lines. 

"  But  while  some  progress  has  been  made, 
there  is  much  yet  to  be  accomplished.  The 


8o  Tuskegee 


poverty  and  ignorance  of  our  race  demand  our 
most  serious  consideration.  We  must  work 
harder  this  year  than  ever  before  to  improve  the 
surroundings  and  elevate  the  characters  of  our 
people.  There  are  over  five  million  Negroes  in 
the  South  —  more  than  half  the  race  —  who  can- 
not yet  read  and  write ;  and  what  is  worse, 
ignorance  in  some  localities  is  increasing  faster 
than  intelligence.  This  alarming  fact  should 
lead  us  to  make  every  possible  sacrifice  for  the 
education  of  our  children.  Instead  of  spending 
money  for  things  that  we  do  not  need,  let  us 
save  this  money  and  prolong  our  school  term  to 
six,  seven,  or  eight  months.  We  can  do  without 
old,  worn-out  buggies,  cheap  jewelry  and  degrad- 
ing railroad  excursions  ;  but  we  cannot  do  with- 
out good  schools  for  our  children,  if  we  hope  to 
get  our  rights  as  citizens.  Every  community 
should  run  its  school  at  least  six  months,  and 
the  way  to  do  this  is  to  begin  at  once  to  make 
preparations  for  it. 

"  Last  year  cotton  sold  as  low  as  four  cents  a 
pound.  This  year  it  is  selling  for  as  much  as 
seven  cents  and  may  go  even  higher.  Now, 
what  permanent  advantage  will  there  be  to  the 
farmers  as  a  result  of  this  increase  ?  Will  they 
continue  to  waste  and  foolishly  squander  their 
earnings,  as  they  have  been  doing  for  the  past 
twenty  years?  Now  is  the  time  to  put  in 
practice  the  teachings  of  the  Tuskegee  Negro 
Conference.  Those  who  came  out  ahead  last 
year  on  four  cent  cotton  ought,  at  least,  to  save 


Tuskegee  18 


some  money  this  year  on  seven  and  eight  cent 
cotton,  and  those  who  have  fallen  behind  while 
cotton  was  down  can  surely  pay  off  those  old 
mortgages  now  that  cotton  is  up.  But  if  the 
results  of  this  year's  increase  in  price  are  thrown 
away,  the  next  year  will  find  us  in  no  better  con- 
dition than  we  have  been  in  the  past.  It  is  the 
duty  of  all  to  take  advantage  of  these  compara- 
tively high  prices,  and  begin  right  now  to  buy 
homes  and  farms.  Land  is  cheaper  now  than  it 
will  ever  be  again.  Let  each  one  resolve  that  he 
will  not  let  this  opportunity  pass. 

"  We    still   urge   that    local    conferences   be 
organized  and  maintained   in  every  community. 
Information  and  literature  may  be  had  by  writ- 
ing to  the  Tuskegee  Institute  for  them. 
"  Very  truly  yours, 

"  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON." 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THERE  are  many  other  methods  employed  to 
extend  the  influence  of  the  Institute,  in  addition 
to  those  which  I  have  just  described.  Some  of 
these  are  not  so  far-reaching  as  others,  but  no 
less  successful  within  their  immediate  sphere. 
For  several  years  a  special  effort  has  been  made 
to  reach  the  home  life  of  the  people  who  live 
within  a  radius  of  about  twenty  miles  of  the  Insti- 
tute, through  the  churches.  The  direction  of 
this  work  has  been  chiefly  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  J. 
H.  Palmer,  who,  usually  accompanied  by  one  or 
more  of  the  teachers,  visits  the  churches  on  Sun- 
day. These  Sunday  talks  deal  a  little  more 
specifically  with  the  moral  and  religious  side  of 
the  life  of  the  people  than  do  the  conference 
meetings,  but  the  foundation  thought  in  both  is 
the  same  —  the  need  of  a  wholesome  physical 
life  as  a  basis  for  real  moral  improvement. 

A  Farmers'  Institute,  composed  of  Negro 
farmers  in  Macon  county,  has  been  in  existence 
for  several  years.  This  was  organized  by  Mr. 
C.  W.  Greene,  the  farm  superintendent,  and  he 
presides  over  the  meetings,  held  once  a  month 
in  the  Agricultural  Building. 

Mrs.  Washington's  method  of  establishing 
schools  I  have  already  described.  She  has 
sought  also  to  do  a  special  work  among  the 
wives  of  the  Negro  farmers  and  laboring  men. 


Tuskegee  183 


Her  "  Mothers'  Meetings,"  and  "  Women's 
Clubs "  have  a  national  reputation.  She  has 
described  how  she  came  to  found,  at  Tuskegee, 
the  first  of  these  :  — 

"  When  the  women  come  to  town  on  Satur- 
day with  the  men  to  trade,  as  they  often  have 
to  do,  they  frequently  have  long,  weary  hours  of 
waiting,  while  the  men  spend  their  time  trading 
or  talking.  Many  times  the  women  have  little 
children  that  they  have  to  hold  in  their  arms  all 
of  the  time.  I  thought  it  would  be  a  nice  thing 
if  we  could  have  some  place  where  these  women 
could  come  and  rest,  and  where  they  might  per- 
haps be  taught  something  at  the  same  time. 

"  I  found  I  could  have  the  use  of  an  old  fire- 
engine  house  in  town  for  this  purpose.  It  was 
not  a  very  good  place,  but  it  would  do  to  begin 
in.  Now  we  have  some  better  rooms.  I  sent  a 
boy  around  to  invite  all  the  women  who  would 
like  to  do  so  to  come  there  one  afternoon.  I 
hadn't  said  anything  to  anybody  about  what  I 
was  going  to  do,  because  I  did  n't  know  that  any 
one  would  come.  They  did,  though,  that  first 
day ;  and  the  number  soon  increased.  Very 
often  we  have  nearly  a  hundred  women  at  the 
meetings  now,  sometimes  women  who  have  come 
ten  miles  or  more  to  be  there. 

"  We  have  two  rooms  now,  with  simple  furni- 
ture. We  have  a  cook-stove  and  some  dishes, 
enough  so  that  we  can  give  talks  on  cooking  and 
at  the  same  time  have  the  women  do  the  things 
we  are  teaching  them.  In  the  same  way  we 


184         "Tuskegee 

have  one  room  fitted  up  as  a  bed  room,  and  the 
women  have  lessons  in  bed  making  and  how  to 
keep  a  bed  room  properly.  There  are  too  many 
of  the  country  .homes  in  which  the  people  do  not 
take  the  trouble  to  have  any  sheets  and  pillow 
cases ;  they  just  crawl  between  what  apologies 
for  blankets  they  have,  without  removing  their 
clothes.  I  have  had  a  tin  bath  tub  set  in  the 
middle  of  one  room,  at  times,  and  show  them 
how  they  can  hang  a  calico  curtain  from  a  hoop 
above  it,  or  curtain  off  a  corner  of  a  room  so  that 
those  who  live  in  the  house,  even  if  it  does  have 
only  one  room,  can  have  an  opportunity  to  bathe. 
At  times  we  have  talks  on  cutting  out  and  making 
clothes  for  themselves  and  their  children,  and 
lessons  in  sewing.  We  show  them  how  they  can 
cut  pictures  from  papers,  and  make  little  frames 
for  them,  and  with  these  brighten  up  their 
homes.  These  are  only  a  few  of  the  many  things 
we  do  at  the  Mothers'  Meeting.  The  teachers 
at  the  Institute  help  me  a  great  deal. 

"  The  women  are  so  interested  that  they  do  all 
they  can  to  help.  At  first  I  had  to  get  all  of  the 
money  necessary  to  pay  the  rent  and  furnish  what 
supplies  we  needed  from  such  friends  as  I  could, 
but  the  women  now  hold  a  fair  each  year  where 
we  sell  things  they  have  made.  In  this  way  they 
have  been  able  to  help  pay  a  part  of  the  expenses." 

The  rooms  which  the  Mothers'  Meeting  occu- 
pies are  over  the  store  of  Mr.  Wilburn,  the 
Tuskegee  graduate  of  whom  I  have  spoken. 
They  are  directly  on  the  public  square,  and  hence 


u  s 


k  e  g  e  e  185 


are  easily  accessible.  They  are  open  all  day. 
The  children  have  special  lessons  in  cooking, 
sewing,  and  such  work. 

A  library  has  been  established  at  Tuskegee 
city,  and  a  boys'  temperance  society.  The 
Humane  Society  has  set  up  and  looks  after  a 
watering  trough.  Mr.  C.  W.  Greene  has  gath- 
ered together  a  Sunday  school  in  the  city  and 
superintends  the  classes  every  week.  Of  the 
"  neighborhood  "  work  I  think  the  most  pictur- 
esque feature  is  the  care  which  the  students  take 
of  "  Aunt  Harriet,"  an  old  colored  woman  who 
lives  alone  in  a  little  house  in  the  oak  forest. 
She  is  very  old  and  quite  alone  in  the  world. 
The  students  not  only  contribute  from  their  own 
small  stores  of  money  to  her  support,  but  in 
other  ways  have  taken  almost  the  whole  care  of 
her  for  several  years.  The  boys  cut  wood  for 
her  and  make  her  garden  ;  the  girls  wash  for  her 
and  bake  and  sew  and  scrub. 

The  students  who  give  their  services  to  make 
more  comfortable  the  life  of  a  poor  old  woman  ; 
the  man  who  teaches  his  townsmen  to  raise 
better  hogs  ;  the  boy  whose  example  induces  his 
friend  to  realize  the  advantage  of  a  night  shirt  ; 
the  city  school  teacher  who  adds  sewing  to  her 
grade's  list  of  studies ;  the  young  farmer  who 
goes  home  and  shows  his  father  how  to  raise  two 
hundred  and  sixty-six  bushels  of  sweet  potatoes 
where  only  forty  bushels  grew  before ;  —  all 
who  do  such  things  as  these  are  doing,  even  if  it 
be  unconsciously,  true  extension  work. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

THE  property  of  the  institution  is  constantly 
growing  and  increasing  in  value.  The  Institute 
now  owns  two  thousand  four  hundred  and  eighty- 
eight  acres  of  land,  six  hundred  head  of  live 
stock,  including  horses,  mules,  cows,  hogs,  and 
sheep  ;  and  fifty  vehicles  —  buggies,  surreys, 
wagons,  and  carts  —  built  by  the  students  in  the 
school's  wheelwrighting  shop.  There  are  forty- 
six  buildings,  large  and  small,  on  the  grounds. 

The  total  valuation  of  the  plant  with  its  equip- 
ment is  fully  $350,000.  In  addition  $150,000 
invested  funds  from  bequests  and  gifts,  and 
$125,000,  the  probable  proceeds  from  the  sale 
of  the  twenty-five  thousand  acres  of  land  appro- 
priated out  of  the  public  domain  of  Alabama  by 
Congress,  constitutes  the  nucleus  of  a  permanent 
endowment  fund. 

Since  the  work  at  Tuskegee  was  begun  there 
have  been  collected  and  expended  for  the  found- 
ing and  support  of  the  Institute  $850,000. 
The  annual  expense  of  the  school  is  now  not 
far  from  $70,000.  About  $24,000  of  this  is 
provided  for  by  the  income  from  the  endowment 
fund,  by  the  annual  allowance  from  the  state  of 
Alabama,  and  by  that  portion  of  the  income  of 
the  Slater  Fund  which  the  trustees  of  that  prop- 
erty have  allotted  to  Tuskegee.  The  students 
pay  for  board  and  other  charges,  each  year,  in 


Tuskegee  187 

the  neighborhood  of  $7,500  in  cash,  besides  what 
they  contribute  in  labor.  Even  if  the  demands 
for  admission  to  the  school  were  not  continually 
increasing,  so  that  the  expense  of  maintaining  it 
is  constantly  growing  larger,  there  will  still  be, 
unless  a  sufficiently  large  endowment  fund  is 
provided,  a  need  for  a  considerable  sum  to  be 
secured  each  year  to  meet  the  balance  of  the 
current  expenses.  Much  of  this  money  Mr. 
Washington  is  obliged  to  obtain  from  generous 
friends  of  the  Institute  in  the  North,  by  personal 
solicitation  and  by  public  addresses,  frequently 
having  in  the  latter  the  assistance  of  the  songs 
of  a  quartette  of  young  men  from  the  school. 

I  do  not  think  that  I  have  ever  known  a  place 
where  a  dollar  goes  farther  than  it  does  at 
Tuskegee.  Those  who  are  willing  to  contribute 
to  help  carry  on  the  work  of  the  school  may  rest 
assured  that  they  will  get  the  worth  of  their 
money.  The  fear  is  sometimes  expressed  that 
the  giving  of  money  to  young  people  for  the  pur- 
pose of  helping  them  to  get  an  education  may 
have  a  bad  effect  —  may  be  deadening  to  effort 
and  ambition.  Those  who  give  to  Tuskegee 
may  dismiss  this  fear  from  their  minds.  The 
greater  part  of  the  money  given  to  Tuskegee 
simply  furnishes  materials  with  which  the  stu- 
dents may  work,  and  opportunities  to  use  these 
materials.  The  students  work,  and  work  hard, 
to  be  allowed  to  stay  at  the  school,  and  while 
doing  that  work,  and  in  doing  it,  obtain  the  edu- 
cation which  they  seek. 


i88  Tuskegee 

It  seems  to  me  as  if  every  one  who  thoroughly 
examines  into  the  work  of  Tuskegee  Institute, 
and  who  stops  to  consider  the  history  of  the 
Negro  race  in  this  country,  its  present  condition, 
and  its  prospect  for  the  future,  will  acknowledge 
that  Tuskegee's  mission  is  one  of  national  im- 
portance, and  as  such  deserves  the  widest  possi- 
ble support. 

Ex-President  Grover  Cleveland  expressed  this 
thought  very  clearly  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Washing- 
ton, written  in  1899,  at  the  time  Mr.  Cleveland 
was  rendering  very  efficient  aid  towards  securing 
an  endowment  fund  for  the  Institute:  — 

"...  We  [the  nation]  have  to  deal  with  eight 
millions  of  Negroes,  who,  though  free  and  in- 
vested with  all  the  rights  of  citizenship,  still 
constitute  in  the  body  politic  a  mass  largely 
affected  with  ignorance,  slothfulness,  and  a  re- 
sulting lack  of  appreciation  of  the  obligations  of 
that  citizenship. 

"  I  am  so  certain  that  these  conditions  cannot 
be  neglected,  and  so  convinced  that  the  mission 
marked  out  by  the  Tuskegee  Institute  presents 
the  best  hope  of  their  amelioration,  and  that 
every  consideration  makes  immediate  action  im- 
portant, whether  based  on  Christian  benevolence, 
a  love  of  country,  or  selfish  material  interests, 
that  I  am  profoundly  impressed  with  the  necessity 
of  such  prompt  aid  to  your  efforts  as  will  best 
insure  their  success. 

"  I  cannot  believe  that  your  appeal  to  the 
good  people  of  our  country  will  be  unsuccessful. 


Tuskegee  189 

Such  disinterested  devotion  as  you  have  exhib- 
ited and  the  results  already  accomplished  by  your 
unselfish  work  ought  to  be  sufficient  guarantee 
of  the  far  reaching  and  beneficial  results  that 
must  follow  such  a  manifestation  of  Christian 
charity  and  good  citizenship  as  would  be  appar- 
ent in  a  cordial  and  effective  support  of  your 
endeavor." 

Those  who  wish  to  make  a  special  disposition 
of  money  which  they  give  to  the  Institute  can 
do  so.  Some  prefer  to  support  one  or  more 
individual  students.  Others  would  rather  establish 
or  assist  some  particular  industry,  or  found  some 
special  feature,  like  the  "  Parker  Home." 

The  immediate  needs  of  the  Institute  at  the 
time  I  write,  in  1900,  are  $10,000  for  a  better 
equipment  of  the  industrial  building,  $4,000  for 
a  hospital  building,  $15,000  for  a  library  and 
administration  building,  $15,000  for  a  dormitory 
for  young  men,  and  contributions  to  the  endow- 
ment fund. 

Until  a  permanent  endowment  fund  is  estab- 
lished which  will  assure  a  steady  and  sufficient 
income  to  maintain  the  school,  the  best  results 
of  the  institution  cannot  be  expected.  So  long 
as  Mr.  Washington  is  obliged  to  be  away  from 
Tuskegee  for  a  considerable  portion  of  the  year, 
occupied  in  securing  money  to  meet  the  current 
expenses  of  the  Institute,  he  sacrifices  time  and 
strength  which  otherwise  would  be  expended 
there  and  in  other  work  in  the  South  for  which 
he  is  so  remarkably  well  adapted.  He  is  fortu- 


190  luskegee 

nate  in  having  the  assistance  of  a  very  capable 
private  secretary,  a  native  of  Texas  and  an  ex- 
perienced newspaper  man  in  that  state  before  he 
came  to  Tuskegee,  of  whom  he  says  :  "  My  pri- 
vate secretary,  Mr.  Emmett  J.  Scott,  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  has  been  in  the  closest  and  most 
helpful  relations  to  me  in  all  my  work.  With- 
out his  constant  and  painstaking  care  it  would  be 
impossible  for  me  to  perform  even  a  very  small 
part  of  the  labor  that  I  now  do.  Mr.  Scott 
understands  so  thoroughly  my  motives,  plans, 
and  ambitions  that  he  puts  himself  into  my  own 
position  as  nearly  as  it  is  possible  for  one  indi- 
vidual to  put  himself  into  the  place  of  another, 
and  in  this  way  makes  himself  invaluable,  not 
only  to  me  personally  but  to  the  institution. 
Such  a  man  as  Mr.  Scott  I  have  found  exceed- 
ingly rare  ;  only  once  or  twice  in  a  lifetime  are 
such  people  discovered." 


EMMETT  J.    SCOTT,    PRIVATE   SECRETARY. 


CHAPTER   XX. 

THE  first  chapters  of  this  work  were  devoted 
to  the  story  of  the  early  years  of  Mr.  Washing- 
ton's life.  It  is  only  fitting  that  the  book 
should  be  closed  by  a  further  reference  to  him 
and  to  the  opinion  which  people  who  know  Mr. 
Washington  and  Tuskegee  Normal  and  Indus- 
trial Institute  have  for  him  and  for  his  work. 
My  only  embarrassment  is  to  know  how  to 
select  the  few  examples  which  I  have  room  to 
use,  from  the  great  number  of  commendations 
before  me. 

In  the  summer  of  1899  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wash- 
ington went  to  Europe,  for  a  few  weeks,  rest. 
While  there,  both  in  France  and  in  England  the 
constant  and  kindly  social  attentions  shown  them 
were  a  proof  that  the  knowledge  of  their  work 
was  not  confined  to  this  country.  The  papers 
of  both  countries  universally  complimented  them 
and  their  work.  The  London  Daily  Chronicle 
said :  "  Mr.  Washington  saw  long  ago  that  the 
most  important  service  which  could  be  rendered 
the  blacks  was  to  make  useful  artisans  and 
workers  of  them.  He  founded  Tuskegee  Insti- 
tute and  has  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  this 
institution  grow  to  its  present  status  of  the 
largest  and  most  important  training  center  of 
the  black  race  in  the  world." 

The   London    Daily   News  said :  "  We  have 


192  Tuskegee 

among  us  just  now  perhaps  the  most  distinguished 
man  of  color  in  America.  He  has  come  qui- 
etly into  our  midst  with  characteristic  modesty, 
having  no  axe  to  grind  on  this  side,  no  funds 
to  raise,  or  anything  of  that  kind.  He  has  come 
just  for  a  little  rest  and  for  the  purpose  of  hav- 
ing a  look  at  one  or  two  things  which  we  are 
doing,  in  the  hope  that  he  may  the  better  do  the 
work  to  which  his  life  is  devoted.  ...  In  the 
work  in  which  Booker  T.  Washington  is  now 
engaged  he  has,  and  should  ever  have,  the  earn- 
est support  of  the  right  thinking  people  of  two 
continents." 

It  is  often  said,  and  truly,  that  a  man's  keen- 
est judges  are  his  neighbors.  The  Montgomery 
(Ala.)  Daily  Advertiser  is  one  of  the  leading 
papers  of  the  South.  Of  papers  which  have  a 
national  reputation  there  is  perhaps  no  other 
which  is  published  so  near  Tuskegee  and  which 
therefore  has  so  good  an  opportunity  to  watch 
the  work  of  the  Institute.  The  Advertiser  regu- 
larly gives  full  reports  of  all  the  exercises  at 
Tuskegee  and  has  very  frequently  referred  to 
the  school  in  terms  of  warm  commendation.  In 
1898,  Major  W.  W.  Screws,  the  editor  of  the 
Advertiser^  after  visiting  the  Institute,  published 
a  long  article,  written  by  himself  and  giving  a 
summary  of  the  work  done  at  the  Institute,  in 
which  he  said  :  "  From  the  day  of  his  arrival  at 
Tuskegee,  when  he  had  only  modest  surround- 
ings, until  the  present,  when  his  name  and  that  of 
the  institution  over  which  he  presides  is  known 


luskegee  193 

over  the  entire  continent,  Booker  T.  Washing- 
ton has  had  the  absolute  confidence  of  the  white 
people  of  that  community.  There  is  never  a 
word  of  harsh  criticism  of  him  or  of  his  methods. 
He  has  been  singularly  imbued  with  a  desire  to 
cultivate  good  relations  between  the  two  races, 
and  to  be  of  lasting  benefit  to  his  own  people. 
He  is  succeeding  in  both  undertakings.  There 
is  nothing  of  the  agitator  about  him.  His  ways 
are  those  of  pleasantness  and  peace,  and  as  far  as 
his  voice  and  example  prevail  there  will  always 
be  the  best  of  feeling  between  the  white  and 
black  people  of  the  country. 

"  It  is  a  blessing  for  the  control  of  the  colored 
schools  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  such  a  man  as 
Booker  T.  Washington.  It  can  be  said  to  his 
credit  that  colored  teachers  are  found  all  over 
Alabama  who  were  educated  at  his  institution, 
and  in  every  instance  the  white  people  commend 
them  for  instilling  correct  notions  into  their 
pupils  and  for  impressing  upon  them  the  fact 
that  they  cannot  prosper  unless  their  white 
neighbors  prosper  and  unless  a  proper  under- 
standing exists  between  them.  It  is  infinitely 
better  to  have  teachers  who  have  such  notions 
than  to  have  those  who  would  seek  to  create 
prejudice  which  would  inevitably  lead  to  trouble. 

"  It  might  be  supposed  that  with  so  large  a 
collection  of  colored  people,  about  twelve  hun- 
dred, in  a  town  of  this  size,  that  there  would  be 
trouble  between  the  races.  There  has  never 
been  an  instance  of  this  kind,  and  there  is  not 


194  Tuskegee 

likely  to  be  so  long  as  the  influence  of  President 
Washington  prevails.  The  white  citizens,  with- 
out exception,  say  that  you  would  scarcely  know 
of  so  many  colored  pupils  being  here,  as  they 
are  under  the  very  best  of  discipline,  and  good 
behavior  is  the  rule  with  all  the  students.  It 
is  really  a  pleasure  to  the  citizens  of  Tuskegee 
to  bear  testimony  to  the  excellence  of  the  insti- 
tution and  its  management." 

The  Mobile  Register  of  June  19,  1899,  said: 
"  Booker  Washington  is  right.  The  solution  of 
the  problem  lies  not  in  book-learning  or  in  trying 
to  cut  the  Negro  to  the  measure  of  the  white 
man,  but  in  teaching  him  that  this  is  a  world 
where  honest  labor  begets  happiness." 

The  Atlanta  Constitution  for  September  25, 
1899,  said:  "  Booker  Washington  was  recently 
given  a  reception  at  the  place  of  his  birth  in 
West  Virginia,  at  which  the  governor  and  other 
distinguished  citizens  assisted  ;  he  is  shortly  to 
be  given  a  reception  at  Atlanta.  Are  these 
tributes  the  result  of  his  color  or  his  politics  ? 
Not  in  the  remotest  degree.  They  are  the  re- 
sult of  the  confidence  and  esteem  he  has  won  by 
reason  of  his  high  character  and  his  unselfish 
devotion  to  the  highest  and  best  interests  of  his 
race.  They  are  also  a  recognition  of  the  fact 
that  he  has  put  a  remarkable  intellectual  equip- 
ment to  uses  that  may  be  described  as  unique. 
He  has  chosen  to  use  it  in  behalf  of  the  eleva- 
tion and  uplifting  of  his  race." 

I  have  already  quoted  from  the  words  of  the 


Tuskegee  195 


Republican  governor  and  Democratic  ex-governor 
of  West  Virginia,  to  which  the  Constitutions 
article  refers.  In  November  of  1899  I  heard 
Mayor  Flower  of  New  Orleans,  in  introducing 
Mr.  Washington  to  an  audience  in  that  city,  say : 
"  The  motto  of  Professor  Booker  T.  Washington 
is  to  look  upward.  He  is  engaged  in  a  noble 
work.  The  seeds  he  is  sowing  will  fall  on  fertile 
ground.  After  he  has  passed  away  there  will 
spring  up  disciples  to  continue  and  disseminate 
his  teachings,  which  will  not  be  circumscribed 
by  environment,  nor  limited  to  Tuskegee,  which 
he  has  made  famous,  but  spreading  far  and  wide 
will  reach  all  classes  of  society,  whether  white  or 
black." 

These  are  testimonies  from  men  and  news- 
papers of  the  white  race.  I  add  to  them  a  few 
paragraphs  from  men  of  Mr.  Washington's  own 
race. 

Mr.  T.  Thomas  Fortune,  the  distinguished 
Afro-American  journalist,  editor  of  the  New  York 
Age,  has  said  of  Mr.  Washington  :  "  To-day  the 
South  possesses  no  voice  stronger  than  his  —  that 
has  the  nation  for  an  audience  when  he  uses  it, 
that  is  teaching  Christian  love  and  sympathy  and 
national  unity  with  like  power  and  success.  The 
God  that  lifted  him  out  of  bondage  has  made  of 
him  a  great  power  for  good  in  the  land.  And  it 
is  due  to  the  southern  people,  to  all  the  southern 
people,  to  say  that  they  recognize  the  native 
ability  and  the  consecration  to  service  —  the 
sustaining  of  the  weak  and  the  lifting  up  of  the 


196 


Tuskegee 


fallen  —  of  the  man,  the  tower  of  strength,  who 
has  taken  the  place  so  long  and  worthily  filled 
by  Frederick  Douglass,  as  '  the  guide,  philoso- 
pher, and  friend'  of  the  ten  million  Afro- Ameri- 
can citizens  of  the  Republic,  with  whom  his  lot 
is  more  particularly  cast ;  and  to  emphasize  the 
fact  that  one  of  the  strongest  elements  of  his 
strength  and  influence  is  the  respect  and  confi- 
dence of  the  whole  southern  people  which  he 
enjoys  in  such  unstinted  measure  —  a  respect  and 
confidence  which,  added  to  that  of  the  people  of 
the  North  and  West,  have  enabled  him  to  erect 
and  sustain  a  lighthouse  of  knowledge  in  the 
Black  Belt  of  Alabama,  whose  reflection,  whose 
pervasive  influence,  is  blinding  the  eyes  of  igno- 
rance and  prejudice,  so  that  men  may  see  the 
beauty  and  the  wealth  that  abound  in  Nature, 
and  thus  intelligently  lay  hold  upon  them  for 
their  use  and  comfort,  and  that  they  may  see  and 
imbibe  that  reverence  for  the  Creator  and  love 
of  mankind  in  which  the  happiness  of  the  people 
and  the  strength  of  the  nation  abide." 

Mr.  R.  W.  Thompson,  of  the  Colored  American, 
has  said :  "  The  most  remarkable  Afro-Ameri- 
can of  this  generation  is  Booker  T.  Washington. 
As  was  said  of  Frederick  Douglass,  he  is  not 
only  a  great  Negro  —  he  is  a  great  man.  .  .  . 
Mr.  Washington  stands  for  a  definite  idea.  He 
is  the  pioneer  apostle  of  industrial  training  for 
the  Negro,  as  the  fundamental  principle  in  the 
solution  of  the  vexatious  race  problem.  .  .  .  Mr. 
Washington's  work  is  not  finished,  but  the  prin- 


Tuskegee  197 

ciples  of  industrialism  are  so  firmly  imbedded  in 
the  intelligence  and  affection  of  the  nation  that 
prejudice  and  criticism  are  without  power  to 
injure.  Tuskegee  long  ago  passed  the  experi- 
mental stage.  It  is  an  enduring  monument  to 
the  industry,  sagacity,  and  high  moral  purpose  of 
its  eminent  founder." 

TO   BOOKER   T.  WASHINGTON. 

Beside  our  way  the  streams  are  dried, 

And  famine  mates  us  side  by  side. 

Discouraged  and  reproachful  eyes 

Seek  once  again  the  frowning  skies. 

Yet  shall  there  come,  'spite  storm  and  shock, 

A  Moses  who  shall  smite  the  rock, 

Call  manna  from  the  Giver's  hand, 

And  lead  us  to  the  promised  land. 

PAUL  LAURENCE  DUNBAR, 

in  Tuskegee  Student. 

In  the  fall  of  1899  Mr.  Washington  published 
a  book  entitled  "  The  Future  of  the  American 
Negro,"  '  which  immediately  attracted  universal 
attention  as  one  of  the  most  important  contribu- 
tions to  the  literature  of  the  race  question .  From 
the  great  number  of  reviews  of  the  book  I  make 
a  few  quotations  to  show  the  very  general  inter- 
est taken  in  it. 

Charles  W.  Chesnutt,  in  Saturday  Evening 
Post :  "  Mr.  Washington  may  be  considered,  in 
relation  to  education,  as  the  prophet  of  the 
practical.  While  he  is  hopeful  of  his  race,  and 

1  Small,  Maynard  &  Co.,  Boston. 


198  Tuskegee 

believes  in  the  ultimate  triumph  of  the  forces  of 
progress,  which  in  the  end  make  for  justice,  the 
future  of  the  Negro  which  he  discusses  is  that 
of  to-morrow,  as  growing  out  of  the  conditions 
of  yesterday  and  to-day ;  and  as  he  believes  in 
getting  the  foundations  of  an  argument,  as  well 
as  of  an  education,  properly  kid,  he  gives  to  the 
present  a  large  part  of  his  attention." 

Sunday  School  Times:  "  No  man  of  the  colored 
race  commands  more  than  Booker  T.  Washing- 
ton the  attention  of  the  American  people.  His 
moderation  in  judgment,  his  far-sightedness,  and 
his  lively  appreciation  of  the  difficulties  which 
beset  social  problems,  have  earned  him  this  con- 
fidence." 

The  Outlook :  "  No  man  in  the  present  decade 
has  thrown  so  much  light  on  the  difficult  problem 
presented  by  the  race  conditions  in  the  South 
as  Mr.  Booker  T.  Washington.  He  has  done 
this  by  his  deeds  even  more  than  by  his  words. 
He  has  commended  himself  to  the  best  elements 
in  his  own  race  and  in  the  white  race,  both  South 
and  North.  He  has  had  amazing  success  in 
overcoming  both  race  and  sectional  prejudice,  and 
he  has  done  this,  not  by  palterings  or  evasions, 
not  by  using  words  in  a  double  sense,  not  by 
giving  one  message  to  the  colored  people,  another 
to  the  Southern  whites,  and  a  third  to  the  North- 
ern whites,  not  by  yielding  to  prejudice,  sec- 
tional or  racial,  not  by  presenting  as  a  compromise 
a  mosaic-work  platform  made  up  of  incongruous 
principles,  but  by  his  clear  perception  and  cour- 


Tuskegee  199 


ageous  but  always  non-polemical  presentation  of 
fundamental  principles." 

The  Chicago  Inter-Ocean :  "  When  Booker  T. 
Washington  writes  or  speaks,  all  nationalities  and 
people  can  well  afford  to  read  or  listen.  He  is 
easily  the  foremost  and  ablest  man  of  color  living. 
He  is  a  brainy,  scholarly  man,  practical  in  all  his 
methods.  He  is  a  natural  organizer,  who,  amid 
such  discouragements  as  would  have  enervated 
most  men,  has  persevered  until  he  has  built  up  an 
institution  which  has  been  a  blessing  to  his  race  ; 
and  more,  by  his  public  addresses  he  has  molded 
a  public  sentiment  wide-reaching  in  its  good 
effect." 

Rocky  Mountain  News  (Denver)  :  "  Booker  T. 
Washington  is  recognized  as  probably  the  fore- 
most colored  writer  on  social  and  industrial 
topics." 

The  Independent  (New  York)  :  "The  practical 
wisdom  of  Mr.  Washington,  as  illustrated  in  this 
book,  deserves  all  praise,  and  by  his  race  he  is 
generally  accepted  as  their  most  distinguished 
leader.  The  work  that  he  has  done  at  Tuskegee 
is  simply  marvelous.  He  has  built  up  an  insti- 
tution which  is  a  town,  and  he  has  an  immense 
task  before  him  in  giving  it  an  endowment.  But 
he  is  young  and  vigorous  and  full  of  faith,  and 
we  believe  he  will  do  it." 

Chicago  Evening  Post :  "  Booker  Washington 
is  to-day  the  most  widely  known  and  most  influ- 
ential representative  of  his  race.  He  has  emi- 
nently the  ear  of  the  public.  And  he  has  earned 


2oo  Tuskegee 

this  right  by  what  he  has  done  as  well  as  by  what 
he  has  said.  The  Normal  and  Industrial  Train- 
ing School  which  he  has  built  up  at  Tuskegee, 
Ala.,  is  well  known  all  over  the  country.  Edu- 
cated himself  at  General  Armstrong's  Hampton 
Institute,  he  has  gone  down  into  the  heart  of  the 
Black  Belt  and  put  into  force  all  the  most  char- 
acteristic lessons  which  he  had  learned  there." 

Houston  Post  (Texas)  :  "  Booker  T.  Washing- 
ton is  the  acknowledged  spokesman  of  the  Negro 
race  in  the  South.  Besides  possessing  the  well- 
rounded  equipment  which  leadership  requires,  he 
occupies  the  position  of  president  of  the  Normal 
and  Industrial  School  at  Tuskegee,  Ala,,  where 
he  is  engaged  in  teaching  the  young  scions  of 
the  Negro  race  how  they  may  earn  competent 
livelihoods  and  at  the  same  time  contribute  to 
the  material  upbuilding  of  the  South." 

Florida  Times-  Union  and  Citizen :  "  The  po- 
litical Negro  will  not  accept  Booker  Washington 
as  a  prophet,  but  he  is  doing  more  for  the  race 
than  all  its  bishops,  and  the  next  generation  will 
arise  and  call  him  blessed.  The  whites  of  the 
South  long  since  recognized  in  him  a  prominent 
factor  in  its  industrial  and  political  development, 
and  hailed  him  as  a  statesman  as  well  as  the 
leader  well  worthy  of  a  following  of  ten  millions." 

San  Francisco  Argonaut:  "While  the  race 
problem  of  the  South  is  the  most  important  with 
which  Americans  of  this  generation  have  to  deal, 
it  is  an  encouraging  sign  that  from  among  the 
Negroes  themselves  should  arise  such  a  man  as 


Tuskegee  201 

Booker  T.  Washington,  at  once  a  counselor  and 
a  model." 

Chicago  Times-Herald:  "Those  who  know 
Mr.  Washington's  work  in  uplifting  his  people 
recognize  that  in  him  the  colored  race  of  this 
country  has  its  Moses ;  that  he  has  come  nearer 
to  solving  the  Negro  problem  than  anyone  that 
has  yet  attempted  its  solution,  and  that  the  way 
he  points  out  for  his  brethren  is  the  way  he  has 
traveled  himself  and  found  successful.  What  he 
tells  his  race  is  that  their  salvation  lies  in  making 
themselves  industrially  capable,  that  the  world 
wants  their  labor,  their  energy,  and  the  fruits  of 
their  toil." 

The  Interior :  "The  best  mind  developed  by 
the  Negro  race  in  America  thus  far  is  Booker 
T.  Washington.  He  saw  through  the  fog  of  the 
Negro  problem  years  ago.  He  saw  that  radical 
and  thorough-going  reform  was  necessary  in  the 
education  of  the  Negro,  and  in  his  ideas.  He 
has  done,  and  is  doing,  more  for  the  white  men 
of  the  South,  and  for  the  general  prosperity  of 
the  South,  than  has  been  done  by  all  the  states- 
men and  politicians  put  together.  This  is  fully 
appreciated  by  the  intelligent  white  people  of  the 
South." 

Rev.  George  B.  Eager,  in  Woman  s  Work 
(Montgomery,  Ala.)  :  "  The  South,  no  less  than 
the  North,  has  reason  to  be  grateful  that  the  well 
known  principal  of  the  Tuskegee  Institute  has 
been  induced  to  put  into  definite  and  permanent 
form  the  ideas  regarding  the  Negro  and  his  future 


202  Tuskegee 


to  which  he  had  already  given  more  or  less  pub- 
licity though  the  platform,  the  magazines,  and 
the  newspapers.  The  appearance  of  this  book, 
and  the  general  acceptance  of  the  leading  ideas 
it  stands  for,  will  mark  an  epoch  in  the  history 
of  the  South,  and,  if  I  mistake  not,  make  a  price- 
less contribution  toward  the  solution  of  the  race 
problem.  The  author  is  well  known  to  our 
people.  He  has  earned  the  right  to  speak  to 
whites  and  blacks  on  this  subject." 

Revieiv  of  Reviews :  "Mr.  Washington  has 
written  a  book  that  will  undoubtedly  be  very 
widely  read  by  the  northern  friends  of  the  work 
of  Tuskegee,  and,  what  is  perhaps  more  to  the 
purpose,  it  will  be  read  by  intelligent  Southern- 
ers who  believe  that  Tuskegee  holds  the  key  to 
the  ultimate  solution  of  the  race  problem  in  their 
section." 

New  York  Commercial  Advertiser :  "It  would 
hardly  be  too  much  to  say  that  the  assurance  of 
a  worthy  future  for  the  Negro  race  in  this  coun- 
try is  its  capability  to  produce  a  man  like  the 
author  of  this  book.  Among  all  that  has  been 
written  on  this  vexed  topic  Mr.  Washington's 
review  and  forecast  of  his  race  seems  to  be  the 
truest  and  most  comprehensive. 

"  If  it  be  asked  what  distinguishes  Mr.  Wash- 
ington's point  of  view  from  other  writers  on  this 
topic,  the  answer,  it  would  seem,  must  be  that 
he  emphasizes  the  creation  of  industrial  values  in 
the  Negro,  and  strives,  first,  1  o  develop  his  moral 
and  intellectual  manhood  as  an  industrial  unit. 


Tuskegee  203 

He  is  a  pronounced  individualist,  a  preacher  of 
the  gospel  of  self-help  for  the  Negro." 

If  I  were  to  add  my  own  tribute  to  those 
which  I  have  given  —  and  the  high  esteem  which 
Mr.  Washington's  life  has  caused  me  to  have  for 
him  during  the  years  I  have  been  associated 
with  him  makes  me  wish  to  do  so  —  it  would  be 
this  :  Not  only  has  he  so  taught  the  students  of 
Tuskegee  as  to  cause  them  to  become  indus- 
trious, law-abiding,  respected,  and  self-respecting 
men  and  women,  but  he  has  had  the  power  to 
inspire  in  their  hearts  a  desire  to  do  something 
to  help  others  —  a  desire  to  pass  on  to  others 
the  help  which  Tuskegee  has  given  to  them. 
This  seems  to  me  to  be  the  dominant  note  of  the 
whole  institution. 

Mr.  Washington  has  said  of  himself  when  at 
Hampton  :  "  I  resolved  when  I  had  finished  the 
course  of  training  that  I  would  go  into  the  far 
South,  into  the  Black  Belt  of  the  South,  and 
give  my  life  to  provide  the  same  kind  of  oppor- 
tunity for  self  reliance  and  self -a  waken  ing  that 
I  had  found  provided  for  me  at  Hampton."  He 
has  been  able  to  impress  this  ambition  upon 
those  who  have  been  his  pupils.  The  feeling  of 
the  students  almost  universally  seems  to  me  to 
be  that  the  help  which  generous  friends  have 
afforded  to  Tuskegee  Institute  is  a  trust  for 
which  its  representatives  are  responsible  ;  it  is 
their  duty  and  their  privilege  to  fulfill  that  trust 
by  helping  others  to  become  what  the  Institute 
has  helped  them  to  be.  They  realize  that  the 


204  Tuskegee 

real  Tuskegee  is  not  merely  a  school  in  a  county 
town  in  Alabama,  but  an  influence  for  good 
throughout  the  whole  South,  to  be  spread  wider 
and  stronger  each  year  by  their  consistently  put- 
ting into  practice  the  principles  which  the  Insti- 
tute has  taught  them. 


APPENDIX 


Appendix 


FACULTY 


The  faculty  and  the  various  executive  depart- 
ments of  Tuskegee  Normal  and  Industrial  In- 
stitute were  composed  as  follows  for  the  school 
year  1899-1900 : 

STATE    COMMISSIONERS. 

GEORGE  W.  CAMPBELL,  Tuskegee,  Ala. 

LEWIS  ADAMS,  Tuskegee,  Ala. 

CHARLES  W.  HARE,  Tuskegee,  Ala. 

BOARD    OF    TRUSTEES. 

GEORGE  W.  CAMPBELL,  President,      Tuskegee,  Ala. 
REV.  GEORGE  L.  CHENEY,  Vice-President, 

Leominster,  Mass. 

REV.  R.  C.  BEDFORD,  Secretary,  Beloit,  Wis. 

WARREN  LOGAN,  Treasurer,  Tuskegee,  Ala. 

LEWIS  ADAMS,  Tuskegee,  Ala. 

CHARLES  W.  HARE,  Tuskegee,  Ala. 

BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON,  Tuskegee,  Ala. 

J.  W.  ADAMS,  Montgomery,  Ala. 

JOHN  C.  GRANT,  LL.D.  Chicago,  111. 

REV.  GEORGE  A.  GORDON,  Boston,  Mass. 

REV.  CHARLES  F.  DOLE,  Boston,  Mass. 

J.  G.  PHELPS-STOKES,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

S.  C.  DIZER,  Boston,  Mass. 

WM.  H.  BALDWIN,  Jr.  New  York,  N.  Y. 

R.  O.  SIMPSON,  Furman,  Ala. 


208 


Appendix 


COMMITTEE   ON    INVESTMENT  OF 
ENDOWMENT    FUND. 


WM.  H.  BALDWIN,  JR. 


J.  G.  PHELPS  STOKES. 


'  EXECUTIVE  COUNCIL. 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON, 
WARREN  LOGAN, 
JOHN  H.  WASHINGTON, 


Principal. 
Treasurer. 

Director  of  Mechanical 
Industries. 

M.  T.  DRIVER,  Business  Agent. 

G.  W.  CARVER,  Director  of  Agricultural  Department. 
EDGAR  J.  PENNEY,  Chaplain. 

JAMES  D.  McCALL,      Director  of  Academic  Depart- 
ment. 

JULIUS  B.  RAMSEY,  Commandant. 

JAMES  N.  GALLOWAY,  Manager  Marshall  Farm. 

MRS.  JOSEPHINE  B.  BRUCE,  Lady  Principal. 

MRS.  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON,  Directress  of 

Mechanical  Industries  for  Girls. 


ACADEMIC    DEPARTMENT. 


JAMES  D.  McCALL,  Director, 
BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON, 


WARREN  LOGAN, 
BUTLER  H.  PETERSON, 

J.  R.  E.  LEE, 
FREDERICK  C.  JOHNSON, 
JOHN  J.  WHEELER, 
J.  W.  MYERS, 
EDGAR  WEBBER, 


Chemistry. 
Mental  and  Moral 
Philosophy. 
Bookkeeping. 
Mental  and  Moral  Phi- 
losophy; Mathematics. 
Mathematics. 
Mathematics. 
Mathematics ;  Chemistry. 
Physics. 
Civics. 


Appendix 


209 


CHARLES  WINTER  WOOD,          Grammar  ;  Elocution. 


Writing ; 
Pedagogy 


ALONZO  H.  KENNIEBREW,  M.  D. 

MRS.  IDA  T.  MCCALL, 

ROSA  MASON, 

SUSAN  D.  COOPER, 

ELIZABETH  W.  MORSE, 

SUSAN  H.  PORTER, 

MRS.  A.  U.  CRAIG, 

DANELLA  E.  FOOTE, 

MABEL  L.  KEITH, 

MRS.  SARA  P.  GREENE, 

MRS.  A.  H.  KENNIEBREW, 

AZALIA  THOMAS, 

SARAH  L.  HUNT, 

CARRIE  L.  SPIES, 

EDNA  A.  SPEARS, 

LYDIA  C.  ROBINSON, 

CLARA  B.  COY, 

IDA  A.  MORGAN, 

DAYSE  D.  WALKER, 

ARSINE  E.  JONES, 

LULA  M.  CROPPER, 


LIZZIE  BAYTOP, 


Physiology. 
History. 

Reading;  Grade  Work. 
Geography. 
Vocal  Music. 
Grade  Work. 
Grade  Work. 
Assistant  to  the  Director. 
Grammar. 

Reading ;  Grade  Work. 
Grammar. 
Gymnastics. 
Grade  Work. 
Grade  Work. 
Grade  Work. 
Grade  Work. 
Grade  Work. 

In  Charge  of  Grades ;  Writing. 
Reading ;  Grade  Work. 
Training  School. 
Critic  in  Charge  Training 
School. 
Librarian. 


COLUMBUS  A.  BARROWS, 


AARON  COAR, 
EMMA  T.  NESBITT, 


Night  School,  Marshall 
Farm. 

Night  School,  Marshall  Farm. 
1  Clerk. 


MUSICAL    DEPARTMENT. 

CHARLES  G.  HARRIS,  Vocal  Music  ;  Leader  of  Choir. 

ELIZABETH  W.  MORSE,  *  Instrumental  Music;  Writing. 

SHERMAN  W.  GRISHAM,        Band  Master  ;  Leader  of 

,  Orchestra. 

1  Part  of  year 


2io  Appendix 

NURSE   TRAINING    DEPARTMENT. 

A.  H.  KENNIEBREW,  M.  D.,  Physician  in  Charge. 
S.  M.  SMITH,  Head  Nurse. 

PHELPS   HALL   BIBLE   SCHOOL. 

REV.  EDGAR  J.  PENNEY,    Dean  ;  Introduction  to  the 

Bible  ;  the  Life  of  Christ ;  Pastoral  Theology. 

REV.  BUTLER  H.  PETERSON,    Bible  History ;  Sacred 

Geography. 

MICHAEL  B.  STEVENS,  Sociology ;  Gymnastics. 

MRS.  A.  U.  CRAIG,  English. 

INDUSTRIAL   DEPARTMENT. 

JOHN  H.  WASHINGTON,  Director. 

MRS.  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON,       Directress  of  Do- 
mestic Industries  for  Girls. 

JOHN  H.  PALMER,  Assistant  to  Director. 

LEWIS  ADAMS,  Tinning. 

R.  B.  WILLIAMS,  Wheelwrighting. 

JOHN  W.  CARTER,  Carpentry. 

GEORGE  B.  EVANS,  Carpentry. 

M.  B.  GARNER,  Carpentry. 

SOLOMON  C.  CONYERS,  Blacksmithing. 

AUGUSTUS  RAYFIELD,  Architectural  and  Mechanical 

Drawing. 

BERNARD  NESBITT,  Assistant  in  Drawing. 

ARTHUR  U.  CRAIG,  Electrical  Engineering. 

JAMES  M.  GREENE,  Plastering  and  Brick  Masonry. 
JOHN  C.  GREEN,  House  and  Carriage  Painting. 
WILLIAM  A.  RICHARDSON,  Assistant  in  Painting. 
WILLIAM  GREGORY,  Brick  Making. 

HARRY  E.  THOMAS,  Founding,  Plumbing,  and 

Machine  Work. 


Appendix  211 

HENRY  E.  COOPER,     Harness  Making  and  Carriage 

Trimming. 

WILLIAM  M.  ALLEN,  Shoeinaking. 

J.  W.  GAINES,  Tailoring. 

D.  R.  FARMER,  Assistant  in  Tailoring. 

MRS.  W.  J.  CLAVTOR,  Assistant  in  Tailoring. 

CHARLES  ALEXANDER,  Printing  and  Binding. 

LAVINIA  E.  DEVAUGHN,  Dressmaking. 

BESSIE  PHONE,  Assistant  in  Dressmaking. 

ELIZA  S.  ADAMS,  Plain  Sewing  and  Millinery. 

.LAURA  E.  MABRY,  Laundering. 

LILLIE  HODGES,  Assistant  in  Laundering. 

ROSE  MILLER,  Mattress  Factory. 

EMMA  T.  NESBITT,  '  Cooking. 

ALICE  PINYON,  Cooking. 

MRS.  A.  K.  HAMILTON,     In  Charge  of  Sales  Room. 

AGRICULTURAL    DEPARTMENT. 

GEORGE  W.  CARVER,  Director ;  Instructor  in 

Scientific  Agriculture ;  Dairy  Science. 

CHARLES  W.  GREENE,    Practical  Agriculture  ;  Farm 

Manager. 

WILLIAM  V.  CHAMBLISS,    In  Charge  of  Dairy  Herd. 
WILLIAM  J.  CLAYTOR,  Stock  Raising. 

CRAWFORD  D.  MENIFEE,      Horticulture ;  In  Care  of 

Grounds. 

C.  A.  WARREN,  Horticulture. 

G.  W.  OWENS,       Assistant  in  Scientific  Agriculture. 

BOARDING    DEPARTMENT. 

M.  T.  DRIVER,  Business  Agent. 

JOHN  H.  PALMER,  Assistant. 

JULIUS  B.  RAMSEY,         Boys'  Department ;  Military 

Science. 

1  Part  of  year. 


2  i  2  Appendix 


H.  W.  SEALS, 

MRS.  J.  B.  BRUCE,          Principal  Girls'  Department. 
MRS.  FRANCES  B.  THORNTON,         Assistant  to  Lady 

Principal,  and  Matron. 

HENRY  G.  MABERRY,  Commissariat. 

HORACE  S.  SCURRY,  Steward,  Teachers'  Home. 

CHARLES  L.  DIGGS,  Custodian  of  Buildings. 

ADMINISTRATION. 

EMMETT  J.  SCOTT,        Private  Secretary  to  Principal. 
ROBERT  W.  TAYLOR,         Northern  Financial  Agent. 


CHARLES  H.  GIBSON, 
LEONARD  C.  FOSTER, 
THOMAS  J.  JACKSON, 
MOSES  B.  LACY, 
NATHAN  HUNT, 
SUSIE  B.  THOMAS, 
EDWARD  H.  WESTON, 
LAVISA  M.  CRUM, 
FRANK  E.  WINTER, 
JAMES  B.  WASHINGTON, 
C.  A.  GILMORE, 


Head  Bookkeeper. 
Assistant  Bookkeeper. 
Negro  Conference  Agent. 
Cashier. 
Stenographer. 
Stenographer. 
Stenographer. 
Stenographer. 
Stenographer. 
Clerk;  Postmaster. 
Registration  Clerk. 


LECTURERS. 

REV.  C.  O.  BOOTHE,  D.D. 

T.  THOMAS  FORTUNE. 

REV.  FRANCIS  J.  GRIMKE,  D.D. 

RT.  REV.  W.  J.  GAINES. 

RT.  REV.  GEORGE  W.  CLINTON,  D.D. 


Appendix  213 

PRESENT   LOCATION    AND   EMPLOYMENT 
OF    THE   CLASS   OF    1899. 

COLTON  ANDREWS,    138  No.  Butler  St.,  Atlanta,  Ga. 

Brickmaker. 
MARTIN  L.  BARNES,  .350  Dearborn  St.,  Mobile,  Ala. 

Working  at  his  trade  of  brickmasonry. 
MATTIE  I.  BENSON,  Kowaliga,  Ala. 

Teacher  of  sewing  in  Kowaliga  Industrial 

Institute, 
CHARLES  S.  BOWMAN,  Quindaro,  Kan. 

Superintendent    of    industries,    Industrial 

School. 
FREDERICK  A.  BOYD,  Jackson,  Tenn. 

Working  at  his  trade  of  brickmasonry. 
NETTIE  L.  BUCHANAN,  Troy,  Ala. 

Teacher  in  Troy  Industrial  School. 
WALTER  S.  BUCHANAN,  Aiken,  S.  C. 

Teacher  in  Schofield  Industrial  Academy. 
JOHN  EVANS  BUTLER,  Tuskegee,  Ala. 

Taking  post-graduate  course  in  wheelwrighting. 
EDWARD  N.  BROADNAX,  Tuskegee,  Ala. 

Painter. 
ANNIE  L.  CAMPBELL,  Nixburg,  Ala. 

Acting  principal  of  Cottage  Grove  Academy. 
ALLIE  L.  DuVALL,  Dawson,  Ga. 

Assistant  teacher  in  Dawson  public  school. 
G.  A.  FALLINGS,  New  Lewisville,  Ark. 

Not  heard  from. 
F.  E.  FEISER,          567  Adams  St.,  Vicksburg,  Miss. 

Teacher  in  the  county  schools. 
LEONARD  C.  FOSTER,  Tuskegee,  Ala. 

Assistant  bookkeeper  at  the  Institute. 
GEORGE  A.  GOODRUM,  Nixburg,  Ala. 

Teacher  in  Cottage  Grove  Academy. 


214  Appendix 

BEATRICE  M.  GRAINE,  152  Elm  St.,  Paw  Paw,  Mich. 
Teacher  in  county  school. 

WILLIAM  A.  GRAY,  Cambria,  Va. 

In  charge  of  farm  at  the  Christianburg  In- 
dustrial Institute  at  Cambria. 

MANCESSOR  HAIR,  Newberry,  S.  C. 

Working  at  his  trade  of  brickmasonry. 

SHEPHERD  L.  HARRIS,  Maysville,  S.  C. 

Instructor  in  Carpentry. 

GEORGE  W.  HENDERSON,  Montgomery,  Ala. 

Baker. 

ANNIE  HENDERSON,  Tuskegee,  Ala. 

Assistant  matron  in  students'  dining  room 
at  the  Institute. 

LILY  M.  HODGES,  Tuskegee,  Ala. 

Assistant  instructress  in  laundry. 

PINKSTON  HOWARD,  Tuskegee,  Ala. 

Student  in  Phelps  Hall  Bible  School. 

EDGAR  D.  HOWARD,  362  Hudson  St.,  New  York,  N.  Y. 
Working  in  drug  store  preparatory  to  tak- 
ing a  course  in  pharmacy. 

WARREN  W.  JEFFERSON,      Montserrat,  British  West 
Principal  of  Industrial  School,  Indies. 

JOSEPH  LEVETTE,  Tuskegee,  Ala. 

Journeyman  brickmason. 

J.  G.  LOWE,  Waugh,  Ala. 

Teacher  in  Mt.  Meigs  Industrial  Institute. 

JAMES  B.  NESBITT,  Tuskegee,  Ala. 

Assistant  instructor    in    architectural    and 
mechanical  drawing  at  the  Institute. 

EGELINA  C.  O'NEAL,  Columbus,  Ga. 

In  charge  of  industries  for  girls  in  Colum- 
bus public  schools. 

FLORINE  PATTERSON,  Tuskegee,  Ala. 

Teacher  in  county  school. 


Appendix  215 

MARY  ELLA  PERRY,  .  Tuskegee,  Ala. 

Taking  a  post-graduate  course  in  dressmaking. 
JOHN  H.  PINKARD,  Jenefer,  Ala. 

Teacher  in  public  schools  of  Calhoun  county. 
ELIZABETH  E.  PLUMMER,  215  No.  Rues  St., 

Teacher.  Pensacola,  Fla. 

MINNIE  L.  RHODES,  Greensboro,  Ala. 

Teacher  in  public  schools. 

WILLIAM  J.  SHOALS,  Clear  Creek,  Indian  Territory. 
ALICE  R.  SIMMS,  34  W.  Grand  Ave.,  Des 

Sewing  and  housekeeping.  Moines,  Iowa. 

R.  C.  M.  SIMMONS,  Concord,  N.  C. 

Newspaper  work. 
BRYANT  SIMPSON,  West  Point,  Ga. 

Tailor. 
ANNIE  L.  SMITH,  Tuskegee,  Ala. 

Clerk  in  store. 
ANNIE  L.  TAYLOR,  Montgomery,  Ala. 

Teacher  in  public  schools. 

MATTIE  E.  VAN  HORNE,  Tuscaloosa,  Ala. 

WILLIAM  W.  WILSON,  Pensacola,  Fla. 

Principal  Escambia  High  School. 
R.  E.  WILLIAMS,  Newberry,  S.  C. 

SARAH  J.  WILLIAMS,  Snow  Hill,  Ala. 

Instructress  in  sewing  at  Snow  Hill  Institute. 

PHELPS    HALL    BIBLE  SCHOOL  GRADU- 
ATES, 1899. 

WILLIAM  C.  CHEERS,  Tuskegee,  Ala. 

Student  in  academic  department. 
GEORGE  GRINTER,  Tuscaloosa,  Ala. 

Student  Stillman  Seminary. 
ADA  M.  HANNON,  Forest  Home,  Ala. 

Teacher. 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


A     000  678  553     9 


